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The Architect (Kacey Musgraves song)

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"The Architect"
Single by Kacey Musgraves
from the album Deeper Well
Written2023
ReleasedMarch 25, 2024 (2024-03-25)
StudioElectric Lady, New York City
GenreCountry-folk[1]
Length2:57
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kacey Musgraves singles chronology
"Cardinal"
(2024) 		"The Architect"
(2024) 		"Irish Goodbye"
(2024)
Music video
"The Architect" on YouTube

"The Architect" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves for her sixth studio album, Deeper Well (2024). Musgraves wrote the song with Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally and produced it with Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. "The Architect" was released to country radio as the album's fourth single on March 25, 2024. A song pondering the existence of God, the song was written in the aftermath of the 2023 Nashville school shooting as the songwriters discussed the problem of evil.

Critics have praised "The Architect" for its songwriting and the song has been nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance at the upcoming 67th Annual Grammy Awards. Musgraves has performed "The Architect" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Today, Austin City Limits, and the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards, as well as on the Deeper Well World Tour (2024). A music video for the song was released in December 2024.

Background and composition

[edit]

"The Architect" was the last song written for Deeper Well; Musgraves had initially considered the album complete but met with Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally for another songwriting session in Nashville early 2023.[2] The three were horrified following a school shooting in the city a few weeks prior that killed six people, and started discussing "the beauty and the terror of being a human". Musgraves had the song's title in mind and was holding a green apple, while Osborne came up with the line "Can I speak to the architect?".[2][3]

The ballad's lyrics ponder the existence of God and wonder how a creator could let bad things happen.[3][4] Its lyrics ask a number of questions, such as "Does it happen by chance? Is it all happenstance? / Do we have any say in this mess? / Is it too late to make some more space?".[5][6] Musgraves produced the song with Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian; the two also contributed to the track as pianist and banjoist, respectively. MCA Nashville sent "The Architect" to country radio stations in the US on March 25, 2024.[7]

Critical reception

[edit]

"The Architect" has received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its songwriting. Brittney McKenna of Nashville Scene called it "one of the best songs Musgraves has ever written",[8] while Jessica Nicholson of Billboard called it "sublime" and a "musical triumph".[9] Sputnikmusic proclaimed it "brilliant musically and lyrically".[10] In a ranking of songs from Deeper Well, Billboard's Melina Newman placed "The Architect" in fourth place.[11] Billboard additionally ranked the song at number two on its list of the ten best country songs of 2024.[12] Taste of Country placed it at number three on its list of the Top 40 Country Songs of 2024.[13]

On the other hand, Thomas Bedenbaugh of Slant Magazine felt the song used too many clichés while Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian called the song "irritatingly twee".[14][15] Meanwhile, Joseph Hudak of Rolling Stone disagreed that "The Architect" was twee, calling it an "elegant, deep thinker" instead, and opining that Musgraves should win the Grammy Award for Best Country Song.[16]

Musgraves received four Grammy Award nominations for the upcoming ceremony in 2025. "The Architect" was nominated in the categories of Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance, while Deeper Well received a nomination for Best Country Album. Musgraves was also nominated for Best Americana Performance as a featured artist on Madi Diaz's "Don't Do Me Good", while the engineers of Deeper Well were nominated in the category of Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[17]

Promotion

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Musgraves first performed "The Architect" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 14, 2024, and on Today the next day.[18][19] "The Architect" was included in the set list of the Deeper Well World Tour, which commenced in April 2024.[20] Musgraves performed the song for the premiere of season 50 of Austin City Limits, which aired on September 28, 2024.[21] Additionally, "The Architect" was performed at the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 20, 2024, which Rolling Stone praised as one of the best performances of the evening.[22][23]

The music video for "The Architect" was released on December 4, 2024, and features Musgraves as an earth mother who assembles a jigsaw puzzle and rolls around naked in mud.[24] A press release from Universal Music Group Nashville describes the video as "an earthy and majestic ode to the wonders of nature".[25] A puzzle of the single art for "The Architect" was released through Musgraves' online store, as well as guitar tab sheet music for the song.[26][27] An apple-shaped 7-inch vinyl, featuring a version recorded live at Electric Lady Studios as the B-side, is scheduled for release in February 2025.[28]

Track listing

[edit]

7-inch vinyl[28]

  1. "The Architect" – 2:57
  2. "The Architect" – live from Electric Lady Studios New York (from Apple Music Live)

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from the liner notes of Deeper Well.

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "The Architect"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[29] 35
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[30] 22
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[31] 38

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sherman, Maria (March 12, 2024). "Music Review: Kacey Musgraves' 'Deeper Well' trades country-pop hooks for deep, folk-y meditation". Associated Press. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Watts, Cindy (November 4, 2024). "American Songwriter November/December Cover Story: Kacey Musgraves Reflects on Her Life, Sisterhood, and John Prine—"It Can Be Really Intimidating to Put Your Most Intimate Thoughts Out There"". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Savage, Mark (April 6, 2024). "Kacey Musgraves: 'The cliché of the tortured musician is a farce'". BBC News. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  4. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (November 8, 2024). "7 Deep Cuts From the 2025 Grammy Nominations". The New York Times. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  5. ^ Hopper, Alex (March 18, 2024). "3 of the Best Lyrics From Kacey Musgraves' 'Deeper Well'". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Breihan, Tom (March 1, 2024). "Premature Evaluation: Kacey Musgraves Deeper Well". Stereogum. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  7. ^ "Country Aircheck Weekly: March 18, 2024, Issue 901" (PDF). Country Aircheck. March 18, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  8. ^ McKenna, Brittney (March 14, 2024). "Talking With Kacey Musgraves About 'Deeper Well' and the Power of Introspection". Nashville Scene. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  9. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (March 18, 2024). "7 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Kacey Musgraves, ERNEST, Jelly Roll & More". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Sowing (March 15, 2024). "Review: Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  11. ^ Newman, Melina (March 15, 2024). "Kacey Musgraves' 'Deeper Well': All 14 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  12. ^ Nicholson, Jessica; Newman, Melina (December 17, 2024). "Staff Picks: 10 Best Country Songs of 2024". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Billy Dukes (December 5, 2024). "2024's Top 40 Country Songs Proves Country Music Is in Good Hands". Taste of Country. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Bedenbaugh, Thomas (March 12, 2024). "Kacey Musgraves Deeper Well Review: Going Her Own Way". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  15. ^ Aroesti, Rachel (March 15, 2024). "Kacey Musgraves: Deeper Well review – folk-pop that's high on life and pure as mountain air". The Guardian. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  16. ^ Hudak, Joseph (October 4, 2024). "Grammys' Best Country Song Race Could Pit Two Former Duet Partners Against Each Other". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  17. ^ Willman, Chris (November 8, 2024). "Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX Are Among Top Nominees". Variety. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  18. ^ Breihan, Tom (March 15, 2024). "Watch Kacey Musgraves Debut "The Architect" & Talk About Almost Getting Blown Off Of An Icelandic Cliff On Fallon". Stereogum. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  19. ^ "Kacey Musgraves performs 'The Architect' live on TODAY". Today. March 15, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  20. ^ Yates, Jonny (April 29, 2024). "Kacey Musgraves opened her Deeper Well Tour – and this is the setlist". PinkNews. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "Episode Premiere: Kacey Musgraves Leads Off Austin City Limits Season 50". Austin PBS. September 26, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  22. ^ Boisvert, Lauren (November 20, 2024). ""Perfection, Perfection, Perfection": Kacey Musgraves Is 'The Architect' of Her Amazing CMA Awards Performance". American Songwriter. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  23. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (November 21, 2024). "2024 CMA Awards: The Best, Worst, and Most WTF Moments". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  24. ^ Hudak, Joseph (December 4, 2024). "Kacey Musgraves Is a Naked Earth Mother in 'The Architect' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  25. ^ ""The Architect" New Video From Kacey Musgraves Out Now". Universal Music Group Nashville. December 4, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  26. ^ "The Architect Puzzle". Colortest. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  27. ^ "The Architect Sheet Music". Colortest. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  28. ^ a b "The Architect 7" Vinyl". Colortest. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  29. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  30. ^ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  31. ^ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
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