In the most moving moment on folksy country-pop star Kacey Musgraves’ fifth studio album – it had this listener on the verge of tears in a public library – she ponders why she, and the world at large, goes through so much pain, asking the age-old question: “This life that we make, is it random or fate? Can I speak to the architect?” Inspired by a shooting tragedy and penned while recently divorced, it’s the kind of song that makes stunning use of one of the best vocal tones in the business – airy yet self-assured, with enough earnestness and vulnerability to let listeners feel all of the joy and pain it conveys almost as deeply as she does.

Luckily, you’ll find a little bit more joy here. After some tumultuous events in her life, the theme of the project mostly reflects Musgraves recognizing what isn’t working – romantic toxicity, attachment to material things – and cutting it loose, finding what really makes her happy. While some of these things manifest in the form of a new, healthier relationship, there are also a lot of woodland spirits and peaceful, recentring nature walks here. For someone whose career has been finding a bit of a second wind in the rise back to prominence of vulnerable, folksy songwriting about thoughtful topics – Musgraves achieved her first number one single alongside kindred spirit Zach Bryan last year – it’s an appropriate environment for a bit more of a stripped-back affair. If you love that country’s back in a big way, you can’t go wrong with someone who appreciates clever, meaningful songwriting as much as Musgraves.