Country queen Kacey Musgraves is known for her sweet sass and clever turn of phrase, but on her new album “Golden Hour,” out Friday, she has a fresh style: hopelessly romantic.
She was long linked to bandmate Misa Arriaga, but in the lead-up to this album, she met and married a new fella, singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly.
One listen to the new project and you can tell the relationship has had a big impact on her sound. Here are the LP’s five most lovey-dovey songs.
“Butterflies”
Musgraves said she wrote this song about a week after meeting Kelly, and that’s reflected in the tender ballad’s central metaphor that compares finding a new love to a butterfly breaking from its chrysalis.
“Oh, What a World”
The vocoder used in the song’s introduction sets a dreamy tone as Musgraves considers the magical delights of planet Earth: “plants that grow,” “things that swim with a neon glow,” and — you guessed it! — her man.
“Happy & Sad”
Lovesickness overwhelms Musgraves in this track as she shares the anxiety of taking a risk and a leap forward in her relationship, even if “they say everything that goes up, must come down.”
“Velvet Elvis”
Kitsch is on the singer’s mind as she likens the endearingly tacky artwork of the song’s title to her beau because he’s “soft to the touch” and “feels like love.”
“Golden Hour”
The title track is the album’s most relaxed love song, with Musgraves settling into what she and her husband have built. “You’ve set my world on fire,” she sings, “and I know, I know everything’s gonna be alright.”

