Monday 10/12: Kevin Morby—"Sundowner"
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the American indie-folk musician Kevin Morby.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him) and Eric Bennett (they/them). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. Now we’re, also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc.
Today, we share our thoughts on a new song by the American indie-folk musician Kevin Morby.
Kevin Morby—"Sundowner"
Eric Bennett:
This Friday, Kevin Morby will release his new album Sundowner. Morby’s last album, Oh My God, came out only last year and found Morby grappling with faith and passing time. The ideas of growth and change have apparently carried through in his songwriting, because it’s present in the singles from Sundowner. Its title track is long and winding, unfolding with an ease and patience that one can only hope to feel themselves. It’s full of radiant warmth, and you can feel that from the acoustic guitar at its foundation. While the track is sparse, you get the sense that were it dressed up anymore, it would feel less transcendent. Morby is an artist I’ve distantly appreciated for a few years, but recently I have grown fonder for his work. “Sundowner” is a great example of Morby’s songwriting coming into its own as he matures and makes me feel like I need to revisit his back catalog.
Eli Enis:
Last year’s Oh My God was a change of pace for Morby. Whereas his previous records cruised the highway between Dylan-esque folk and brisk, sometimes even psychedelic indie-rock, last year’s album detoured into piano-driven gospel rock. I enjoyed the direction it took, others didn’t, but “Sundowner” and the other tracks from this new record affirm that he’s gone back to basics.. “Sundowner” is a sweet acoustic tune with nothing but fibery guitar strums and a backgrounded haze of ringing ambience. It sounds like what it feels like to stare up at the desert sky; equally peaceful and awe-inducing. I like the lyrics of the song, too. It’s about alternately chasing and running away from light, feeling like you want a purpose but getting rejected every time you try to find it. Morby’s been doing this for a while now (this is his sixth solo album) and you can tell on “Sundowner”.