From Brooklyn basements to Kansas City roots: Kevin Morby's decade-plus run of acclaimed solo records has quietly made him one of indie folk-rock's steadiest songwriters.
MOODS · reflective · folk-rock · autumnal · literary · warm
BIOGRAPHY
Kevin Robert Morby was born April 2, 1988, in Lubbock, Texas, and grew up largely in Kansas City, Missouri, after his father's job with General Motors moved the family. He relocated to Brooklyn in the mid-2000s, joining the noise-folk band Woods on bass and later forming the Babies with Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls, releasing two albums together in 2011 and 2012.
Morby's solo career began with 2013's Harlem River, an ode to New York, followed by a move to Los Angeles. He has since released eight solo studio albums, including Still Life, Singing Saw, City Music, Oh My God, Sundowner, This Is a Photograph, and 2026's Little Wide Open, which features production from the National's Aaron Dessner and guest turns from Lucinda Williams and Justin Vernon.
WHY THEY'RE COOL
Morby has built a body of work that critics consistently point to as a high-water mark of 2010s indie songwriting. Still Life and Singing Saw both drew strong critical praise, with Pitchfork calling Singing Saw his strongest album for its refined, less referential songwriting. His subsequent records—City Music, the conceptual Oh My God, and the reflective This Is a Photograph—trace a songwriter deepening his craft over time, tackling themes of aging and family. His latest, Little Wide Open, made with Aaron Dessner and featuring Lucinda Williams and Justin Vernon, has been called by one critic the best album of his career, underscoring a steady critical trajectory rather than a single breakout moment.
