Following 2019’s Oh My God, “a secular rock record consumed by religious imagery, a pop art exploration of deep anxiety, and his most interesting work yet” (The FADER), Sundowner is Morby’s “attempt to put the Middle American twilight — its beauty profound, though not always immediate — into sound.” This is represented in “Campfire,” a track that’s textured with distinct, twangy guitar licks and Morby’s compelling voice. The video, shot at Castle Rock in Kansas and directed by Johnny Eastlund & Dylan Isbell, features Morby and his partner, Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee). It’s deeply hued with beautiful, dusky skies and a cinematic quality.
The collection of new songs that would become Sundowner came together effortlessly as he did his best not to resist or refine the songs, but instead let them take shape all on their own. In his makeshift studio, Morby taught himself basic recording techniques. Because it had no heating or cooling elements, he was subjected to the elements - the warm and abstract summer and the icy Kansan winter. He worked largely on a four track Tascam model 424. “I wrote the entire album wearing headphones, hunched over the 424, letting my voice and guitar pass through the machine, getting lost in the warmth of the tape as if another version of myself was living on the inside, singing back at me,” says Morby. “I was mesmerized by the magic of the four track not only as a recording device, but also an instrument, and considered it my songwriting partner throughout the whole process.”