Album Review: Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves

By Soleil Caouette

Music Journalist

From Golden, Texas, Kacey Musgraves produces a primitive record from her core singing about her healing journey. We are used to hearing songs influenced by psychedelics and her country background, so this is a new version of Kacey with electronic and twee-style sounds. When I think of her music, I am automatically brought back to her plain country roots featured in Same Trailer Different Park, so hearing Deeper Well for the first time gave me a completely different feeling. There is usually some edge whether it’s related to the production of the music or her feisty lyricism, but with this newer album, I don’t feel that.

Kacey Musgraves retreats to the center of comfort and wisdom on Deeper Wells, giving further meaning to the mundane life. This album features folky sounds and mesmerizing lyrics reflecting spirituality and the relationships she has built over time. I would say Deeper Wells swings back to the basics of her writing compared to her whimsical 2018 record, Golden Hour. Musgraves has a way of connecting to her audience in the witchy ways of tarot, jade stones and astrology in this record and it is something that is being seen all over the charts lately.

The album opens by introducing a direction with “Cardinal,” as she sings about how life guides her in certain ways for a reason. I enjoyed the chorus of this song, but I feel like the introduction is missing a bit of her country roots. Maybe the intention behind Deeper Wells was to stray away from her style, but I still feel like there is a boundary that needs to be broken within the first few songs to connect with the audience. This rawness she features in her songs dives into the comfort and care she is claiming to need after a tumultuous few years since her last record drop.

The song, “Moving Out,” is a serene melody about past memories and growing up. It tells a story about her moving out of the home she bought and the overwhelming feelings that come with that. This album is filled with metaphors for the spiritual path she has been on, referencing omens, divine timing and planetary alignments.

The most interesting and out-of-place song we hear on this record is “Anime Eyes,” referencing a lover who makes her heart burst with a million stars, with her confidence pounding through her chest she says, “Sailor Moon’s got nothing on me.”

Romantic bliss and painful loss are pulsing themes running through the heart of this album, and Musgraves conjures a calmness to her songs that leave us comforted in the unknown. She has faced difficult relationships and events in her life, but ultimately she trusts the signs and wisdom of the universe to guide her toward the correct path.

The simplicity and dedication to genuineness in Deeper Wells shine through with strong intention, and even though it wasn’t what I was expecting, it was still a good unexpected. While her influences have changed, and she has laser-focused her version on a new way of living, this album is just the evidence of the growth and healing she has done. The witchy Kacey Musgraves has shown herself and I am here for it.