MAGNET Exclusive: Premiere Of Sean McConnell’s “Never Enough”

In an obvious sense, Sean McConnell’s latest single, “Never Enough,” is autobiographical. “There’s a part of me that is always after the next high—chasing the next dopamine hit,” says the Massachusetts-born, Nashville-based singer/songwriter. “My chemical makeup seems to always remind me that if a little bit of something is good, then all of it would be even better. Whether it’s cigarettes, coffee, alcohol or even music, I get a taste, and I lose control. I learn a chord, I write a song, I sell my soul to rock ’n’ roll.”

For a while there, it also seemed as if McConnell had sold his soul to Music City. Six years after self-releasing his debut LP at just 15, he signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music, writing songs for everyone from Brad Paisley, Martina McBride and the creators of the TV series Nashville to Meatloaf, Plan White T’s and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino. Now just north of 40 and a happily married family man, McConnell is set to release his 10th solo album, Skin, on February 28 via Metropolitan Groove Merchants. McConnell recorded its textured confessional folk rock at his own Silent Desert Studio with help from longtime friend Justin Tocket and members of his touring band.

One of 11 bracingly personal tunes on Skin, “Never Enough” is mostly about past vices. “I gave up alcohol a few years ago, and that’s been one of the best choices I’ve ever made,” says McConnell. “Also gone are the days of smoking cigarettes and mindlessly pounding coffees—pretty much, at least. I bob and weave, ever mindful of my appetite.”

“Never Enough” is also autobiographical in a less direct way. “Underneath it all, the real soul of the song is my love for—and from—my soulmate and wife, Mary Susan,” says McConnell. “If there’s anything we don’t need in moderation, surely it’s love.”

We’re proud to premiere Sean McConnell’s “Never Enough.”

—Hobart Rowland