Kaitlin Butts Reinvents Oklahoma! On New Album Roadrunner!, Out June 28th Via Soundly Music
Watch the video for ‘Hunt You Down’ here; Title track to be released May 17th
Watch the Roadrunner! album trailer here
Read Rolling Stone’s profile of Butts from the May 2024 print issue here
Lollapalooza, Railbird, Under the Big Sky and The Long Road festivals this summer, touring the US with Dierks Bentley and UK with Flatland Cavalry
“One of the most dynamic artists to grow out of the Oklahoma Red Dirt scene, unafraid to test boundaries” – Rolling Stone
LONDON, U.K. / NASHVILLE, TN. – (May 7, 2024) – A truly one-of-a-kind artist, Kaitlin Butts has a deep affinity for country music’s more theatrical side: the extravagant storytelling, dazzling showmanship, songs embedded with both unbridled emotion and quick-fire humor. After discovering her passion for performing as a little girl, the Tulsa native later brought her boundless energy and radiant voice to her own unapologetic yet soulful songwriting. When it came time to create her third album, the Nashville-based musician leaned into her lifelong love of musical theater and dreamed up a modern-day reimagining of the soundtrack to her all-time favorite musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! The result: a high-concept but candidly autobiographical LP called Roadrunner!, out June 28th via Soundly Music, whose 17 powerhouse songs show the full force and extraordinary depth of Butts’ artistry for the very first time.
“Every summer when I was a kid my parents would take me to see a performance of Oklahoma! at a local amphitheater, and I’ve felt such a strong connection to it my entire life,” says Butts, who first conceptualized Roadrunner! during a pandemic rewatching of the film with her husband, Flatland Cavalry frontman Cleto Cordero. “It’s a love story but there’s also a murder and a little bit of an acid-trippy feel to it at times; it’s set in the same place where I come from. Once I got the idea for this album I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before, and it turned into something that completely encompasses who I am and what I love.”
Produced by Oran Thornton (Brent Cobb, Logan Brill), Roadrunner! marks a major tonal shift from Butts’ 2022 sophomore LP what else can she do, a character-driven exploration of complex matters like addiction, domestic violence, and generational trauma. “With the last album I wanted to write about the struggles I’d seen people go through or experienced myself, so a lot of the songs had a sadness or darkness to them,” she says. “I feel like Roadrunner! is much closer to what I’m like onstage, where there’s real emotion and truth but also humor and a tendency to poke fun. It’s all those different versions of me at once.” Made with A-list musicians like multi-instrumentalists Russ Pahl (Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves) and Lex Price (Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum), Roadrunner! ultimately matches that multidimensionality with a lush and fiery sound informed by Butts’ eclectic influences (outlaw country, strong-minded country-pop, timeless rock-and-roll, and more).
Although the plot to Oklahoma! hinges on the budding romance between cowboy Curly and farm girl Laurey in the early 1900s, Roadrunner! draws much of its power from Butts’ forward-thinking perspective on femininity and independence. In creating a track called ‘That’ll Never Be Me’, for instance, Butts co-wrote alongside Angaleena Presley and penned a self-possessed response to Oklahoma!’s lovelorn ‘Many a New Day’. Co-written with Natalie Hemby, ‘Other Girls (Ain’t Havin’ Any Fun)’ puts a brilliantly subversive twist on Oklahoma!’s ‘I Cain’t Say No’, bringing serpentine riffs and ravishing vocal work to Butts’ hypnotic anthem of empowerment.
While many of the songs on Roadrunner! came to life through Butts’ careful revisiting of Oklahoma!, a number of tracks emerged from sudden bursts of creative inspiration. An unforgettably lovely slow-burner featuring guest vocals from country legend Vince Gill, ‘Come Rest Your Head (On My Pillow)’ began as a lyric idea jotted down at the Two Step Inn festival in Texas. “I saw this gorgeous girl wearing a tank top that said ‘Cowboy Pillows’ right across her chest, which I thought was so hysterical,” she explains. “But then when I went to write it, it became this sweet song about being a source of comfort and safety for a man.”
As Butts reveals, the making of Roadrunner! served as an essential milestone in her journey as an artist, allowing for the fullest expression yet of the larger-than-life vision she’s long brought to her work (e.g., her cinematic videos, high-wattage stage presence, exquisitely curated costumes reflecting her fondness for sequins and fringe). “Some artists get up onstage in their T-shirts and jeans and do their thing, but what comes naturally to me is the drama and going that extra mile to try to create an immersive experience,” she says. “The more I pull from my musical-theater background, the more emboldened I am. Making this album showed me that little ideas can grow and take on a life on their own, and it’s so exciting to know that sticking with my vision can lead to something bigger than I ever even imagined.”
Kaitlin Butts – 2024 Tour Dates
May 25 – Arlington, TX – Levitt Free Concert Series
Jun 1 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festival
Jun 15 – Ardmore, OK – Depot Days
Jun 28 – Pendleton, OR – Jackalope Jamboree
Jul 5 – Riaza, ESP – Huercasa Country Festival
Jul 9 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
Jul 10 – Fargo, ND – Fargo Brewing Company
Jul 12 – Billings, MT – Thirsty Street Brewing Company
Jul 14 – Whitefish, MT – Under The Big Sky Festival
Jul 17 – Boise, ID – The Grove Plaza
Jul 19 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
Jul 20 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Americana Fest
Aug 4 – Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
Aug 8 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion+
Aug 9 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center+
Aug 10 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena+
Aug 25 – Bottesford, UK – The Long Road Festival
Aug 26 – Brighton, UK – Concorde 2*
Aug 27 – London, UK – Scala*
Aug 29 – Bristol, UK – The Fleece*
Aug 30 – Manchester, UK – Academy 2*
Aug 31 – Paisley, UK – Mill Town Music Fest*
Oct 5 – Salt Lake City, UT – RedWest Fest
+ supporting Dierks Bentley
* Supporting Flatland Cavalry
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