Morgan Evans Releases ‘Steel Town’ Album After Returning to Australian Hometown

Morgan Evans released his sophomore album, Steel Town, on March 20 via Virgin Music Group, marking his most personal project to date. The 11-song collection chronicles a pivotal homecoming to Newcastle, New South Wales, the coastal city where Evans grew up, following a public divorce and more than a decade building a career in Nashville.

"In Nashville, it felt like the whole sky was falling and the walls were imploding, and it was the end of the world for me. I came back to Newcastle for Christmas, hung out at a pub with all my mates, and they're like, 'You're alright mate. You're okay.' That was such a moment of perspective shift," Evans shared.

Newcastle, Evans says with a smile, is "bullsh*t-free," an attitude he carried back to the studio. "I really owed it to myself to tell my own story," he added, reflecting on how his divorce came to be defined through someone else's narrative. "I don't like to talk about that stuff; I'd rather express that through music. The whole album is not about Newcastle, but that's where that perspective shift happened and led me to the other songs dealing with grief, or looking for peace in other parts of life."

The album was made at the end of three years of nonstop touring, with Evans focused on building a set list of songs he would genuinely look forward to performing live. Themes of heartbreak, forgiveness, and letting go run throughout, with "Letting You Go" capturing the project's emotional core.

Originally written as a solo, "Two Broken Hearts," featuring Laci Kaye Booth, takes on new emotional depth as a duet, with Booth also opening dates on the upcoming tour. William Barton, one of Australia's most recognized didgeridoo players, features on "Back to Country," underscoring Evans' pride in his Australian identity and his embrace of genre-blurring expression.

The Steel Town Tour kicks off May 21 in Perth before hitting Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, and Christchurch.