Kevin Morby, photo by Chantal Anderson

Kevin Morby has released “Die Young,” the second single from Little Wide Open. Set to release on May 15 via Dead Oceans, Morby’s eighth solo studio album is built up from roadside tableaus rushing by the window and the visceral individuation that a lifetime of driving can strike into the heart. The set’s latest preview, after the beaming acoustic shuffle of “Javelin,” is dusky, sheltering and saturated with gratitude just for the chance to keep traveling.

“A lot of this album is me reflecting on my time spent on the road as an adult,” Morby explained in a release. “Being a touring musician as a career has made for a sometimes complicated lifestyle and in so many ways has proven to be pretty dangerous. I started doing this professionally when I was 19 and sometimes I can’t believe that 20 years later I’m still here. This song acts as a love letter not only to the road and all of my travel companions over the past two decades, but also to Katie, who I met playing shows when we were very young. Sometimes it’s amazing to zoom out and remember where we began compared to where we’re at today – both as romantic partners and songwriters.”

Little Wide Open is a product of close collaboration with producer Aaron Dessner, who reached out to Morby after working on breakthrough projects from Taylor Swift, Mumford & Sons and Gracie Abrams to express interest in supporting his follow-up to 2022’s This Is a Photograph. Dessner’s arrangements run free with the openhearted reflections, leanly vivid and catching in transience like median wildflowers at full speed. On “Die Young,” Morby’s words and strums are trailed by steady bass kicks and wisps of violin from Mat Davidson. Other contributors across the project include Amelia Meath, Justin Vernon, Katie Gavin, Lucinda Williams, Meg Duffy, Oliver Hill, Rachel Baiman, Stuart Bogie, Tim Carr and Andrew Barr.

Little Wide Open is available to pre-order and pre-save now. Watch the music video for “Die Young” below, and read on for the album’s full tracklist.

Little Wide Open – Kevin Morby:
1. Badlands
2. Die Young
3. Javelin
4. All Sinners
5. Natural Disaster
6. 100,000
7. Little Wide Open
8. Cowtown
9. Bible Belt
10. I Ride Passenger
11. Junebug
12. Dandelion
13. Field Guide for the Butterflies