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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
Studio album by Kevin Morby
Released	October 16, 2020 (2020-10-16)
Recorded	January 2019[1]
Studio	Sonic Ranch[1]
Length	46:41
Label	Dead Oceans
Producer	Brad Cook
Kevin Morby chronology
Oh My God (2019) Sundowner (2020) This Is a Photograph (2022)
Singles from Sundowner
"Campfire" Released: September 1, 2020 "Don't Underestimate Midwest American Sun" Released: September 23, 2020 "Wander" Released: September 23, 2020 "Sundowner" Released: October 7, 2020

Background

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]

Release

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]

A Night at the Little Los Angeles

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]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

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]

Year-end lists

Year-end lists for Sundowner

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
NBHAP	50 Best Albums of 2020	49	[27]
Uncut	The Top 75 Albums of the Year	27	[28]
Indie Basement (BrooklynVegan)	Top 40 Albums of 2020	36	[29]

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]

• Kevin Morby – vocals, guitar, drums, piano, mellotron, pump organ, insert photo
• Brad Cook – production, bass, keys, drum machine, backing vocals (track 2)
• Katie Crutchfield – vocals (tracks 4, 6)
• James Krivchenia – percussion, backing vocals (track 2)
• Jerry Ordonez – mixing, engineering
• Brent Lambert – mastering
• Johnny Eastland – cover photo
• Matt Lief Anderson – insert photo
• Mike Krol – layout, design

References

External links

• Essay by Kevin Morby about Sundowner at Dead Oceans

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