Little Wide Open

Description

For Kevin Morby, Little Wide Open represents the vast sky, simple lives, his roots in the Midwest, and everything that makes up his life: duties, modesty, familiarity, and isolation. The land, the people, and all of that resonates within him. Little Wide Open is the title of Kevin Morby's eighth studio album, produced by Aaron Dessner. In 2024, Dessner asked Morby to open for The National's concert at Crystal Palace Park in London. Shortly after, Dessner, then at the height of his fame after producing albums for Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Gracie Abrams, reached out to Morby to offer to produce his next album. Recording began in early 2025 at Aaron's Long Pond studio in Stuyvesant, New York, and was completed in September of the same year. The album, which features numerous collaborators such as Dessner (who plays several instruments), Amelia Meath, Andrew Barr, Justin Vernon, Katie Gavin, Lucinda Williams, Meg Duffy, and many others, is described by Morby as the third part of a trilogy, following Sundowner (2020) and This Is a Photograph (2022), which chronicled his time in the Midwest after returning to Kansas City. Dessner's production enhances Morby's recordings without ever diverting attention from the songs themselves. There is a newfound confidence and clarity in Morby's writing and Dessner's production, reminiscent of Tom Petty's classic, Wildflowers (1994). Now primarily based in Los Angeles, the atmosphere that permeates Little Wide Open has evolved from his previous albums.