Love in Transit: Kevin Morby Drops “Javelin” Video

Kevin Morby just released the video for “Javelin,” the first taste of his upcoming eighth record Little Wide Open, landing May 15th through Dead Oceans. Aaron Dessner handled production duties, and the result feels like Morby’s most stripped down work yet.

The track captures that restless feeling of racing across the country to see someone you love, only to end up back home in the heartland, alone. Amelia Meath from Sylvan Esso lends her voice to what was supposed to be background harmonies, but her presence is so magnetic that she practically steals the show.

The video itself is pure joy: Morby and comedian Caleb Hearon tear around Missouri backroads on an ATV, with appearances by Katie Crutchfield and Tara Raghuveer. It’s exactly as fun as it sounds.

Little Wide Open marks the final chapter in an accidental trilogy that started with 2020’s Sundowner and continued through 2022’s This Is a Photograph, both documenting Morby’s time back in Kansas City. Now based in Los Angeles, this album channels that forward momentum into something new. Dessner’s touch brings clarity and confidence to these songs, evoking the spirit of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers.

The record features a stellar cast: Justin Vernon, Katie Gavin, Lucinda Williams, Mat Davidson, Meg Duffy, and more. Morby calls it his most vulnerable collection yet, noting that Dessner kept him from overcomplicating things and let the stories breathe on their own.

Novelist Rachel Kushner penned an entire essay about the album titled “Field Guide to the North American Troubadour.”

Pre-order Little Wide Open

Tour Dates:
March 14 – Austin, TX @ The Long Time
May 8 – Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios *
May 13 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up Aspen *
May 14 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *
May 15 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Block Party
May 17 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom *
May 18 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre *
May 19 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall *
May 21 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
May 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern *
May 23 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s *
May 24 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box *
May 26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom *
May 27 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing *
May 29 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater *
May 30 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall *
June 2 – Chicago, IL @ Metro *
June 4 – Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew’s Hall *
June 5 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY *
June 6 – Montréal, QC @ Théâtre Beanfield *
June 7 – Boston, MA @ Royale *
June 9 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
June 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
June 12 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre *
June 13 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground *
June 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
June 16 – New Orleans, LA @ Tipitina’s
June 18 – Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
June 19 – Fort Worth, TX @ Tannahill’s Tavern and Music Hall
June 20 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
July 2 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso *
July 3 – Beuningen, NL @ Down the Rabbit Hole
July 4 – Lille, FR @ L’Aéronef *
July 5 – Hérouville-Saint-Clair, FR @ Festival Beauregard
July 6 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel *
July 8 – London, UK @ Troxy *
July 9 – Manchester, UK @ The Ritz *
July 10 – Brighton, UK @ CHALK *
July 11 – Brugge, BE @ Cactusfestival
July 12 – Köln, DE @ Even Flow Festival
July 14 – Zurich, CH @ Rote Fabrik *
July 15 – Galzignano Terme, IT @ Anfiteatro del Venda *
July 16 – Feldkirch, AU @ Poolbar Festival *
July 17 – Vienna, AU @ Simm City *
July 18 – Munich, DE @ Technikum *

*with Liam Kazar