Deeper Well Explained

Deeper Well
Type:	studio
Artist:	Kacey Musgraves
Cover:	Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well.png
Caption:	Standard cover
Alt:	A woman with very long brunet hair holds up a flower against a bucolic green backdrop.
Studio:	Electric Lady, New York City
Genre:	Country folk soft rock folk pop
Length:	42:02
Label:	MCA Nashville Interscope
Producer:	Kacey Musgraves Daniel Tashian Ian Fitchuk
Prev Title:	Star-Crossed
Prev Year:	2021

Deeper Well is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves. It was released on March 15, 2024, through MCA Nashville and Interscope Records. The album was preceded by the release of two singles: the title track and "Too Good to Be True". To support Deeper Well, Musgraves embarked on the Deeper Well World Tour in April 2024.

Commercially, the album became her best project in terms of sales in the first week of sales worldwide. In the United States, it debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, while debuting at number three in the United Kingdom on the Official Albums Chart, becoming the singer's highest entry on both charts. An expanded edition of the album, subtitled Deeper into the Well, was released in August 2024.

Release and promotion

Musgraves teased the project on February 4, 2024, during a 66th Annual Grammy Awards commercial titled "My Saturn Has Returned".^[1] The eponymous lead single was released with an accompanying music video alongside the album announcement days later on February 8.^[2] Inspiration for the song came through change in feelings and sentiments that might be off-putting at first but equips one with "new insight and deeper love somewhere else".^[3] It was followed by the second single, "Too Good to Be True", on February 29.^[4] The music video of the song premiered later on March 15, the same day the album was officially released.^[5] A digital deluxe edition of the album, containing the bonus track "Ruthless", was available during the album's release week.^[6] On July 26, Musgraves released the single "Irish Goodbye" and announced an expanded version of the album, subtitled Deeper into the Well, which was released on August 2.^{[7] [8]}

On February 29, 2024, Musgraves announced she would perform shows in Europe and North America for the Deeper Well World Tour in support of the album. The tour commenced on April 28 in Dublin, Ireland, and is set to conclude on December 7, in Nashville, Tennessee.^[9] On March 2, Musgraves took the stage as musical guest on Saturday Night Live for the third time of her career and performed "Too Good to Be True" and "Deeper Well".^[10]

Composition

Deeper Well was described as a country folk, soft rock,^[11] and folk pop album.^[12] It was co-produced and co-written by Musgraves, Daniel Tashian, and Ian Fitchuk, with the exception of the tracks "Sway", which includes songwriter Tommy English, and "The Architect", which was crafted with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.^[13] Musgraves recorded the album at the Electric Lady Studios in New York City, which she thinks "has the best mojo" while she was "seeking some different environmental energy".^[14] It reflects on the changes and priorities that occurred in her life after the age of 27, spurred by the "cosmos as Saturn's return".^[15]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78 based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled 21 reviews and gave Deeper Well an average of 7.3 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Tony Clayton-Lea of The Irish Times dubbed Deeper Well "another jewel in the crown" describing it as "politically aware" and "personally revealing".^[16] Thomas Bedenbaugh of Slant Magazine praised the concept of the album and considered the lyrics mostly live up to Musgraves' standards, even though some "fall flat". Mary Siroky of Consequence called the lyrics of the album "poetic" and saw the album as a "conversation with a friend" and a "great companion listen" to Musgraves' fourth studio album, Golden Hour, praising the "dreamy mood" of the album.^[17]

In a review for Paste, Eric Bennett called Deeper Well her "most sonically cohesive album to date" describing the album as "refreshing" and "rife" with "clear-eyed" songs. Roisin O'Connor of The Independent also praised the cohesive sound of the album, calling the album a "revelation".

Pitchfork's writer Laura Snapes described the album as "sympathetically fame-agnostic and focused on steadying Musgraves' axi" but the songs "aren't particularly satisfying when you know what she's capable of", comparing the project as "the latest addition to a canon of refusenik pop records from young women burned by the spotlight". Sophie Williams of NME praised the "assertiveness" of Musgraves on the "sparse compositions that run through this thoughtful, imperfect, down-to-earth record", described as "the excitement of a fresh start".

Commercial performance

Deeper Well debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with 97,000 album-equivalent units, including 38.06 million on-demand streams and 66,000 album sales in its first week, behind Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine (2024). It became Musgraves' fifth top-ten album on the chart and her biggest week ever by both equivalent album units and traditional album sales.^[18] The album also debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums and Americana/Folk Albums, respectively becoming Musgraves fifth and third project to achieve it.^[19]

In the United Kingdom the album debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Musgraves' highest-charting album and her third consecutive top-ten project after Golden Hour (2018) and Star-Crossed (2021).^[20] It also debuted at number one on the UK Country Albums Chart, becoming her fifth consecutive album to reach the top spot on that chart.

Track listing

Notes

• "Too Good to Be True" interpolates "Breathe (2 AM)" by Anna Nalick, who is therefore credited as a songwriter on the track.^[21]
• "Lonely Millionaire" interpolates "Kody Blu 31" by JID.^[22]
• "Heaven Is" interpolates Scottish folk song, "Ca' the yowes to the knowes".^[23]

Personnel

Musicians

• Kacey Musgraves – lead vocals (all tracks), dulcimer (track 9), mandolin (19, 21), art direction
• Daniel Tashian – synthesizer (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20), background vocals (1, 3–5, 6, 8, 9, 14, 17, 19, 21), 12-string acoustic guitar (1, 8), percussion (1, 9), acoustic guitar (2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21), bass (2–4, 13, 16, 18, 20), slide guitar (4, 5, 7, 15, 19), Moog bass (6), ukulele (7), vocals (10), piano (11, 15, 16, 19, 21), Mellotron (11, 17, 19), organ (12), keyboards (14), drums (15, 19, 21), electric guitar (17)
• Ian Fitchuk – drums (tracks 1–5, 7, 8, 13, 17–20), acoustic guitar (1, 3, 5, 11, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21), bass (1, 5–9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21), synthesizer (2, 3, 11, 13), percussion (3, 6, 14), Mellotron (4), keyboards (5, 16), background vocals (6), piano (7, 10, 14), electric guitar (8, 15), organ (8), snare drum (12), programming (18), synth bass (19)
• Todd Lombardo – acoustic guitar (tracks 1–5, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20), guitar (2, 8, 10, 11, 14, 18, 20), banjo (4, 5, 10, 15, 18, 20), slide guitar (13)
• Viktor Krauss – bass (track 1)
• Russ Pahl – pedal steel (tracks 3, 15)
• Sarah Buxton – background vocals (track 6)
• Justin Schipper – steel guitar (track 6)
• Greg Leisz – steel guitar (track 7)
• Matt Combs – cello, viola, violin (tracks 9, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18)
• Lex Price – bass (track 14)
• Jim Hoke – flute (track 17)
• Jeff Bhasker – organ, piano (track 18)
• Leon Bridges – vocals (track 18)
• Dan Dugmore – steel guitar (tracks 19, 21)
• Tiny Habits – vocals (track 19)

Technical

• Kacey Musgraves – production
• Daniel Tashian – production (all tracks), engineering (tracks 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15)
• Ian Fitchuk – production
• Jeff Bhasker – production (track 18)
• Greg Calbi – mastering
• Konrad Snyder – mixing (tracks 1, 4–6, 10, 16–21), engineering (1–9, 11–21), additional mixing (13)
• Shawn Everett – mixing (tracks 2, 3, 7–9, 11–15)
• Craig Alvin – engineering (tracks 1–7, 12, 14, 15)
• John Rooney – engineering (tracks 7, 11, 12, 15)
• Mai Leisz – engineering (track 7)
• Todd Lombardo – engineering, editing, sound design (tracks 10, 18)
• Phillip Smith – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 12, 15)
• Dan Davis – engineering assistance (tracks 3, 7, 14, 15)
• Ethan Barrette – engineering assistance (tracks 3, 7, 14, 15)
• Sean Badum – engineering assistance (tracks 6, 12, 14, 15, 17)

Visuals

• Ashley Kohorst – art direction
• Kelly Christine Sutton – art direction
• Mackenzie Moore – art direction, design
• Laura Phillips – art production
• Giovanni Delgado – hair and make-up
• Moani Lee – hair and make-up

Charts

Chart (2024)! scope="col"

Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[24]	26
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)^[25]	5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[26]	9
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[27]	66

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kacey Musgraves Teases New Music in GRAMMYs Commercial. Kyle. Meredith B.. Entertainment Tonight. February 4, 2024. February 8, 2024.
2. Web site: Kacey Musgraves Announces Album, Shares Video for New Song "Deeper Well": Watch. Strauss. Matthew. Pitchfork. February 8, 2024. February 8, 2024.
3. Web site: Kacey Musgraves announces new LP Deeper Well shares title track. Hatfield. Amanda. BrooklynVegan. February 8, 2024. February 8, 2024.
4. Web site: Kacey Musgraves Teases Upcoming Album 'Deeper Well' With New Single 'Too Good to Be True'. McGuigan . Molly. USA Today. February 29, 2024. March 15, 2024.
5. Kaplan . Ilana . March 15, 2024 . Kacey Musgraves Faces the Stress of the Spotlight in 'Too Good to Be True' Music Video - Watch! . live . May 24, 2024 . People.
6. Web site: Deeper Well Digital Download w/ Bonus Track (Alternate Cover) . August 4, 2024 . Kacey Musgraves Official Store . March 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240318002421/https://shop.kaceymusgraves.com/collections/all-products/products/deeper-well-digital-download-w-bonus-track-alternate-cover.
7. Nicholson . Jessica . 2024-07-25 . Kacey Musgraves to Release Expanded Version of 'Deeper Well' Project . 2024-07-27 . . en-US.
8. Wescott . Andrew . 2024-07-27 . Kacey Musgraves announces expanded 'Deeper into the Well' album and releases new track 'Irish Goodbye' . 2024-07-27 . . en-US.
9. Web site: Kacey Musgraves Announces 2024 Tour, Shares New Song "Too Good to Be True". Matthew. Strauss. February 29, 2024. Pitchfork.
10. Peters . Mitchell . 2024-03-03 . Kacey Musgraves Performs 'Deeper Well' and 'Too Good to Be True' on 'Saturday Night Live': Watch . 2024-08-04 . . en-US.
11. News: Ruggieri . Melissa . March 15, 2024 . Kacey Musgraves offers clear-eyed candor as she explores a 'Deeper Well'. March 17, 2024 . .
12. News: Aroesti . Rachel . March 15, 2024 . Kacey Musgraves: Deeper Well review – folk-pop that's high on life and pure as mountain air. March 17, 2024 . .
13. Web site: Kacey Musgraves Announces Deeper Well Project, Releases Fifth Album's Lilting Title Track. Willman. Chris. Variety. February 8, 2024. February 8, 2024.
14. Web site: Kacey Musgraves Announces New Album Deeper Well, Reveals Title Track: Stream. Ragusa. Paolo. Consequence. February 8, 2024. February 8, 2024.
15. Web site: Kacey Musgraves Announces Album, Shares Video for New Song "Deeper Well": Watch. Ivie. Devon. Vulture. February 8, 2024. February 8, 2024.
16. News: Clayton-Lea . Tony . March 14, 2024 . Kacey Musgraves: Deeper Well – Politically aware and personally revealing, this one's a genuine grower . March 14, 2024 . .
17. News: Siroky . Mary . March 7, 2024 . On Deeper Well, Kacey Musgraves Plunges into a Pool of Self-Reflection: Review . March 14, 2024 . .
18. Caulfield . Keith . March 24, 2024 . Ariana Grande's 'Eternal Sunshine' Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart . April 8, 2024 . Billboard.
19. Caulfield . Keith . March 28, 2024 . Kacey Musgraves' 'Deeper Well' Debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales . April 8, 2024 . Billboard.
20. Brandle . Lars . March 25, 2024 . Ariana Grande's 'Eternal Sunshine' Snags Second Week at No. 1 In U.K. . April 8, 2024 . Billboard.
21. News: Breihan . Tom . Kacey Musgraves Shares New Song "Too Good To Be True": Listen . 7 March 2024 . Stereogum . 29 February 2024 . en.
22. Kacey Musgraves' 'Deeper Well': All 14 Tracks Ranked . .
23. Web site: On 'Deeper Well,' Kacey Musgraves Goes TikTok Mode . March 15, 2024 .
24. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 25, 2024. March 22, 2024.
25. Web site: ARIA Top 40 Country Albums. Australian Recording Industry Association. March 25, 2024. March 25, 2024.
26. Web site: NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. Recorded Music NZ. March 25, 2024. March 22, 2024.
27. Web site: Top 100 Albums – Week 12. Productores de Música de España. El Portal de Música. March 26, 2024.