Bittersweet, sonically expansive reinvention
Certain albums try to crack the artist open, and DREAMSICLE, Maren Morris’s latest offering, is unmistakably personal. Released after her 2024 divorce from Ryan Hurd and her public coming out as bisexual, the record plays like a journal of rediscovery—compelling, unfiltered, but occasionally lost and fragmented.
Morris, who rose to stardom with a blend of country grit and pop sheen, has never shied away from bending genres. Guided by an A-list pop-production team that includes Jack Antonoff and Naomi McPherson (of pop group MUNA), Morris swirls together synth-pop shimmer, indie rock melancholy, dreamy Americana, and even touches of soft blues. “Push Me Over,” an 80s-tinged, queer love anthem co-produced with McPherson, captures a heady mix of liberation and caution—learning to walk again after sitting too long in someone else’s expectations.
But it is the quieter tracks that Morris hits her stride. “This Is How a Woman Leaves” might be the album’s heart. It’s restrained and quiet—less rage and more resolve. Morris doesn’t scream; she steps. With each verse, she builds a sense of agency that feels deservedly dramatic. “Grand Bouquet,” a mid-album acoustic gem, has Antanoff showcasing his signature tactile, subdued production. Morris laments on not appreciating the small beauties of a relationship, singing, “I’ve been so busy praying for my grand bouquet, not noticing you gave me flowers every day.” She leans upon the quiet, steady presence that stays when everything else leaves. Recognizing that support doesn’t always have to roar, it sometimes just shows up with coffee and doesn’t ask questions.
DREAMSICLE shines brightest in its most intimate, confessional moments—when Morris sets aside the synths and shimmering pop layers in favor of stripped-down guitar work and unvarnished emotion. Morris’s voice is full of nuance and learned wisdom in these moments, allowing her storytelling to capture the beauty of small realizations and the strength found in soft resolve. While the more pop-forward tracks on the album are ambitious and often sonically engaging, they sometimes pull focus from the raw emotional thread that ties the record together. Yet even these moments serve a purpose, reflecting Morris’s desire to explore new textures and emotional landscapes. DREAMSICLE ultimately finds its heart not in grand reinventions, but in its willingness to be wrong, honest, and unflinchingly human.
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