Interviews
Scent Collaboration with Kevin Morby
When Scent Meets Sound: In Conversation with Kevin Morby
For Kevin Morby, songs often begin with landscapes, changing weather and the memories carried through scent. Earlier this year, Kevin joined us in the Earl of East studio to create a bespoke fragrance inspired by the world surrounding his latest album. Together, we explored long drives through the American Midwest and South, roadside wildflowers, humid summer afternoons and the stillness that follows a storm.
We spoke to Kevin about scent, memory and life on the road, and how those ideas were translated into ALL SINNERS, a limited-edition candle and incense range created with Earl of East.
What role does scent play in your life and creative process?
I’m constantly writing about landscapes and weather, and with both of these, scent plays a huge role.
The way the Midwest smells after it rains. The way a campfire smells in the distance. Driving past fields of wildflowers with the windows down and the smell wafting into the car. Citronella to fend off mosquitoes. Even the smell of gas stations I find comforting and inspiring.
All of these, the good and the bad, are sort of the backdrop to creating a feeling. It’s that feeling I’m chasing when writing music.
When we began developing the fragrance, you described nostalgia, spring and summer days, wheat fields and open roads. What drew you to those memories and images?
When I wrote my latest album, I was taking a lot of solo road trips through the Midwest and South of the USA. I spent lots of time with the windows down, letting whatever smells drift into my truck as the landscapes changed.
Something about long solo road trips feels inherently nostalgic, like you’re remembering a scene from a film about your life.
The fragrance balances bright citrus notes with earthy woods. How did you approach translating those memories and landscapes into scent?
I sort of just let my nose do the choosing. But I wanted something that felt subtle and comforting while also unique. Like the feeling of a humid summer afternoon, and the way it feels after a storm when the air gets really still and a rainbow comes out.
How does the fragrance connect to the themes and atmosphere of the new album?
It’s a nostalgic record in a lot of ways, so I wanted a scent that feels comforting and full of longing. That feeling of yearning for a warm memory.
A lot of the album is built around my adult life spent as a touring musician, so the road was a huge inspiration. American highways, the wildflowers blooming alongside them and the butterflies they produce
Music and scent are both powerful triggers for memory and emotion. Why do you think they work so well together?
I think most music is an effort to convey certain feelings.
Personally, when I’m working on music, I’m trying to capture and bottle a feeling. And when it comes to feelings and memory, nothing is more powerful than the sense of smell.
Personally, when I’m working on music, I’m trying to capture and bottle a feeling. And when it comes to feelings and memory, nothing is more powerful than the sense of smell.
Was there a moment during the development process when the fragrance finally clicked into place?
I narrowed it down to two different recipes and was sent two demo candles: V1 and V2. At first sniff, I was sure I wanted the first, but I decided it was worth doing my due diligence and lighting each one to see which I liked best over the next few days.
On day one, I lit V1. On day two, I lit V2.The moment second option was lit, there was no question that it was the scent I had been chasing.
So the moral of the story is: always light your candles to reveal their true spirit.
KEVIN MORBY x EARL OF EAST
Created through a scent session in our London studio, the limited-edition Kevin Morby x Earl of East ALL SINNERS scented candle and incense collection translates memories of American highways, roadside wildflowers and summer storms into fragrance.
Bright bergamot and petitgrain meet cypress, sage and black pepper, grounded by cedarwood, vetiver and sandalwood. The result is subtle, comforting and expansive, designed to evoke open roads, warm memories and the stillness that follows rain.