Dry Spell (song)

"Dry Spell"
Single by Kacey Musgraves
from the album Middle of Nowhere
ReleasedMarch 11, 2026 (2026-03-11)
Length3:18
LabelLost Highway
Songwriters
Producers
Kacey Musgraves singles chronology
"Lost Highway"
(2025)		 "Dry Spell"
(2026)		 "Middle of Nowhere"
(2026)
Music video
"Dry Spell" on YouTube

"Dry Spell" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves. It was released on March 11, 2026, through Lost Highway Records. The song serves as the lead single from Musgraves's seventh studio album, Middle of Nowhere (2026).

Background and release

In February 2026, Musgraves posted on X, "Is it possible to die from horniness? Asking for a friend." The post resurfaced the following week when she reposted it shortly before the release of "Dry Spell".[1] After completing the international leg of her Deeper Well Tour, the singer announced her seventh studio album, Middle of Nowhere, scheduled for release on May 1, 2026.[2][3] "Dry Spell" was released on March 11, as the album's lead single alongside its music video.[4]

Composition

Consequence author Chris Coplan described "Dry Spell" as "boldly hilarious and self-aware" and noted that it "blazes with sharp wit while delivering tight turns of phrase". Coplan added that the song finds Musgraves revisiting familiar musical territory with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and curiosity.[5] Lily Goldberg of Pitchfork observed that the song is framed as "a playful confession of boredom", calling it unapologetic but "ultimately bloodless", where "the subjects of lust matter less than the fact that they don't exist".[6] The Fader's Tobias Hess noted that "Dry Spell" addresses the frustration of a "dry spell"; its chorus continues the theme through extended metaphors about longing for a partner, including the lines "Ain't nobody's tool up in my shed / Ain't nobody's boots under my bed".[7]

Critical reception

Writing for Pitchfork, Lily Goldberg remarked that the use of "y'all" indicates the song is not an attempt at seduction, contrasting it with songs such as "Roommates" by Hilary Duff, which Goldberg described as part of the "women in their late thirties can be horny, too" canon.[6] Jillian Giandurco from Nylon described the song as "twangy", "clever", and "horny",[8] while Melinda Newman of Billboard depicted the track as "humorous, twangy" song.[9] Variety's Chris Willman suggested that the song signals a broader return to the country-influenced sound and sense of humor associated with Musgraves's early work. Willman noted that its lyrics humorously depict the singer counting the days since her last relationship, highlighted by lines such as "I'm so lonely, lonely with a capital H / If you know what I mean / I've been sitting on the washing machine".[2] Erinn Callahan from American Songwriter also highlighted these lyrics, describing the track as "chock full of the witty wordplay that made Kacey Musgraves famous".[10]

Music video

The music video for "Dry Spell" was co-directed by Musgraves and Hannah Lux Davis,[11] and premiered alongside its release on March 11, 2026.[4][12] In it, Musgraves is shown arriving at a grocery store dressed in a very casual outfit, only to be confronted with "suspiciously suggestive visual double entendres" as she walks around perusing the store's merchandise.[13]

Live performances

Musgraves performed "Dry Spell" live on the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards on May 17, 2026.[14] It marked a career-first live performance on the awards show by Musgraves.[15]

Charts

Release history

List of release dates
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various March 11, 2026 Lost Highway [30]

References

  1. ↑ DeVille, Chris (March 11, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves Announces New Album Middle Of Nowhere Feat. Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings, & More: Hear "Dry Spell"". Stereogum. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Willman, Chris (March 11, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves Announces Sixth Album, Middle of Nowhere; Witty and Racy 'Dry Spell' Video Out Now". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  3. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (March 11, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves Reveals New Album Middle of Nowhere and Single". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  4. 1 2 DeSantis, Rachael (March 11, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves Announces New Album Middle of Nowhere and Shares Cheeky Lead Single 'Dry Spell'". People. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  5. ↑ Coplan, Chris (March 11, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves Announces New Album Middle of Nowhere, Shares "Dry Spell": Watch". Consequence. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Goldberg, Lily (March 11, 2026). "Dry Spell Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  7. ↑ Hess, Tobias (March 11, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves announces new album Middle of Nowhere, releases coy 'Dry Spell'". The Fader. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  8. ↑ Giandurco, Jillian (March 11, 2026). "The Kacey Musgraves Dry Spell Is Officially Over". Nylon. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ Newman, Melinda (March 11, 2026). "New Kacey Musgraves Album Coming May 1, Watch the Witty Video for New Song 'Dry Spell'". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  10. ↑ Callahan, Erinn (March 11, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves Ends "Dry Spell" With New Album Announcement". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  11. ↑ Schube, Will (March 11, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves Announces Sixth LP Middle of Nowhere, Shares "Dry Spell"". Flood. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves - Dry Spell (Official Music Video)". YouTube. March 11, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ Holian, Danielle (March 12, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves - 'Dry Spell'". When the Horn Blows. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves - Dry Spell (Official Music Video)". YouTube. March 11, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  15. ↑ Chan, Anna (May 17, 2026). "Kacey Musgraves Takes the 2026 ACM Awards to the Country Mart for a 'Dry Spell'". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Airplay Top-20 – Hitlisten.NU – Danmarks officielle hitlister" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Top Radio Hits Estonia Weekly Chart". TopHit. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of March 25, 2026". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Top Radio Hits Latvia Weekly Chart". TopHit. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. March 20, 2026. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Official Singles Sales Chart on 8/5/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  24. ↑ "This week on the UK Country Radio Airplay Chart:". Absolute Radio Country. March 29, 2026 – via X.
  25. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Top Radio Hits Estonia Monthly Chart: June 2026". TopHit. July 3, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Dry Spell - Single by Kacey Musgraves". Spotify. 2026. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
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