In a career spanning over 50 years, dozens of albums, and too many shows to count, Marty Stuart still charts a course through new territory at every chance possible. Joined by his longtime band The Fabulous Superlatives, the five-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Country Music Hall of Famer, Congress of Country Music founder, and AMA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient cruises into another stratosphere with his first-ever full-length instrumental LP, Space Junk. The inimitable interplay between Marty, Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson, and Chris Scruggs fuels this cosmic cowboy trip with sun-kissed surf guitar, breezy California rhythms, soul-stirring steel guitar, and fluid fretwork all around.

“We thought the world needed a fresh instrumental album by a pretty good band,” Stuart laughs. “So we composed twenty instrumentals and took them to the microphones.” Space Junk sounds like country music’s preeminent band crash-landing on a Malibu beach and performing the most epic jam you’ve ever witnessed by starlight.

“Instrumentals have always been a part of The Fabulous Superlatives’ repertoire, but this is the first completely instrumental album we’ve done,” Stuart says, noting the project was largely inspired by two of his favorite bands from the sixties, The Ventures and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. “They did some dangerously cool instrumental records. We’ve done bluegrass, gospel, and country records. Our hearts just led us to this one. Space Junk turned us back into kids with our first guitars.” Ironically, the cover art of Space Junk is a painting by Stuart’s longtime hero and friend Herb Alpert, who generously consented to its use for the project.

Stuart’s deeper understanding of the instrumental form can be traced back to the turn of the century, when he took a year off from touring to focus on composing music for film and television. He notably scored All the Pretty Horses, garnering a Golden Globe® Award nomination for Best Original Score, and earned GRAMMY® Awards for Best Country Instrumental Performance with “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “Hummingbyrd.” The experience proved pivotal.

“Scoring required a cinematic way of thinking,” Marty reveals. “I had to make music for what the scene called for, which turned me into more of a visual player in an understated way. That kind of thinking followed me into the studio during the making of Space Junk. I knew the music had to be pretty, but it also had to say something without losing its drive.”

He and The Superlatives ventured to Hollywood to record the bulk of Space Junk at the legendary Capitol Recording Studios. The palm trees, sunshine, and energy of the world-famous room set the perfect mood for the band to blast off.

“Just walking in, you feel the weight of that room’s history,” Chris observes. “You can’t help but think of The Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole, and Buck Owens walking down that ramp. It lifts you up and helps you take flight.”

“A place like Capitol makes you want to dress up and perform your best,” Harry grins.

“I started listening to rock ’n’ roll before The Beatles came out,” Kenny chuckles. “There’s a mystique to Capitol; it’s still there too.”

“The creative atmosphere of California always gives me a feeling that the sky is the limit,” Marty muses. “Space Junk is California music. If you want a specific sound, you go to certain places in the world. For the California sound, it’s Capitol. You’ve got the blue skies, the legacy, the romance, and a lot of friendly ghosts. The atmosphere makes you do a little better.”

“California Part 1 (Bobbie Gentry Please Call Home)” channels this spirit. Captured live at Capitol, Marty played Clarence White’s famed Fender Telecaster on the track. The dusty beat holds down a steady groove as a lyrical lead swoons and swerves toward an upbeat crescendo accented by pinch harmonics.

“It winks at me, because it’s purely California,” Marty says. “I close my eyes and see a Western sunset. Clarence played really softly. There was a magic bell tone to what he did. I finally found that tone on his guitar on this song.”

A dramatic drumroll gives way to ethereal guitar transmissions on “The Ballad of the Lonely Surfer.” Organic percussion quakes beneath delicately strummed chords. “I had a vague idea of the melody for a ballad,” recalls Kenny. “It fell right into place once I took it to the band.”

“Waiting on Sundown” alternates between tender low-string twang and echoes of sustained notes awash in waves of reverb. “The song is clearly under the spell of my romance with the Golden State,” Marty confesses. “It’s a reflection of the music, rhinestone fashion of Lankershim Boulevard, cars, and TV and movie heroes. In reality, it’s a love affair with the entirety of California’s custom culture.”

The finale, “Waltz of the Waves,” revolves around a steel symphony performed with panache and poise by Chris. “Back in the day, steel players were stars,” he adds. “I wanted to do a song with that voice. There are elements of exotica and Hawaiian music too, which are dear to me. You can say a lot without words—just music.”

“To me, ‘Waltz of the Waves’ is the moment you get in the rowboat, let the sun go down, and float off into the sunset,” Marty continues. “It was the perfect way to close the novel.”

The band recorded a handful of tracks in Nashville as well. Among them, “Graveyard” hinges on a quintessential surf guitar riff ushered forward by a dynamic beat and fast tremolo. “We recorded at the House of Blues studio,” Marty remembers. “Right behind it, there’s a big graveyard where people like George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Marty Robbins, and Porter Wagoner are buried. The title worked.”

Then there’s the title track, “Space Junk.” Steel drums thump, galactic chimes wail, and the guitar practically sings. It evokes a big-screen-worthy vignette topped off by a sample of the Sputnik signal. “Sonically, it’s like you’re sitting in the window seat of a spacecraft and watching everything drift by,” Kenny explains.

More than two decades together and unparalleled musicianship enabled Marty and The Superlatives to reach these heights. Often cited among the scene’s most elite players, the band leans into a chemistry built on deep trust and instinct. “Each band member is a lifer, and we’ve all got a little bit of the frontman gene,” Chris reveals. “A connection to music is part of who we are.”

“Also, none of us has ever had a job other than music,” Kenny laughs.

“Harry and I made records in the nineties,” Marty recalls. “I first saw Kenny on Austin City Limits with Lucinda Williams and knew he could do it all. We’ve known Chris since he was a little guy, and there’s no end to his musical chain. These guys are all producers. When we get together, it’s a masterclass in music and fun. After our first rehearsal, I remember saying, ‘This isn’t your ordinary band. We’re called at a deeper level.’ It’s about standing for something, playing good music, and trying to make a difference.”

Marty’s light has only grown brighter over the years. He has left an indelible mark on successive eras of country music and culture, from accompanying Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash to launching a storied solo career highlighted by Hillbilly Rock and This One’s Gonna Hurt You, as well as GRAMMY®-winning anthems like “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’” and “Same Old Train.” His 2023 album Altitude earned widespread critical praise, with the Associated Press applauding the band’s “thrilling results” and American Songwriter noting how Stuart puts “his own stamp on a traditional vein of country.” NPR summed it up best: “For millions, Marty Stuart is the very image of country music.”

Ultimately, Space Junk is another natural step for Marty Stuart and a worthy addition to his essential catalog.

“I hope Space Junk takes listeners for a ride,” Marty concludes. “It makes me forget my problems and remember why I play guitar and get to dress up in cowboy clothes. It reminds me I’m okay—and I want it to do the same for you. Mainly, I want to inspire some kid to buy an instrument and make a difference. That concept was passed down to us from the old heroes. If we can serve the same role, mission accomplished.”