| Sundowner | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 16, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | January 2019 [1] | |||
| Studio | Sonic Ranch [1] | |||
| Length | 46:41 | |||
| Label | Dead Oceans | |||
| Producer | Brad Cook | |||
| Kevin Morby chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Sundowner | ||||
| ||||
Sundowner is the sixth studio album by American indie rock musician Kevin Morby, released on October 16, 2020, on Dead Oceans. [2] [3] [4] [5]
Sundowner was written at Morby's home in Kansas where he lives with his partner Katie Crutchfield, and which they nicknamed 'The Little Los Angeles'. [1] [6] The album was recorded in January 2019 with producer Brad Cook at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas. [1] In the meantime, Morby released his fifth studio album, Oh My God (2019), and went on tour in support of it. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Morby and Cook put the finishing touches on Sundowner from their respective homes. [7]
In an essay announcing the album, Morby described the album as his "attempt to put the Middle American twilight—its beauty profound, though not always immediate—into sound." [8]
Sundowner was announced on September 1, 2020. [9] The album's first single "Campfire", was released the same day. [10] "Don't Underestimate Midwest American Sun" and "Wander" were released as singles on September 23, 2020. [11] "Sundowner" was released as a single on October 7, 2020. [12] The album was released on October 16, 2020 via Dead Oceans. [13]
On October 8, 2021, Morby released A Night at the Little Los Angeles, a collection of 4-track demo versions of the songs on Sundowner. [14] It features demos of all the songs except "Jamie", which is replaced with a demo version of Morby's standalone single "U.S. Mail". [15]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.1/10 [16] |
| Metacritic | 73/100 [17] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [18] |
| Clash | 7/10 [19] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10 [7] |
| Loud and Quiet | 8/10 [20] |
| musicOMH | [21] |
| Mojo | [22] |
| NME | [23] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10 [24] |
| PopMatters |   [25] |
| Uncut | 7/10 [26] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Sundowner received an average score of 73 based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [17]
Fred Thomas of AllMusic wrote, "Its gentle melancholy and unhurried tempos slowly melt into a sustained atmosphere, offering some of Morby's gentlest and most captivating songs." [18] Ross Horton of musicOMH called it "Morby's Harvest Moon , his Nebraska , his Hejira – a statement of intent made in the quietest way possible." [21]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| NBHAP | 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 49 | |
| Uncut | The Top 75 Albums of the Year | 27 | |
| Indie Basement ( BrooklynVegan ) | Top 40 Albums of 2020 | 36 |
All tracks are written by Kevin Morby
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Valley" | 4:04 |
| 2. | "Brother, Sister" | 4:37 |
| 3. | "Sundowner" | 5:09 |
| 4. | "Campfire" | 5:19 |
| 5. | "Wander" | 1:54 |
| 6. | "Don't Underestimate Midwest American Sun" | 5:21 |
| 7. | "A Night at the Little Los Angeles" | 7:10 |
| 8. | "Jamie" | 4:11 |
| 9. | "Velvet Highway" | 3:20 |
| 10. | "Provisions" | 5:36 |
| Total length: | 46:41 | |
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