Kip Moore finished his upcoming record and made a promise that he'd put music aside for awhile. He needed it.

He couldn't do it.

"I’ve already written five things since that I want to bump off the record and put these new things on there," he tells Taste of Country of an album that's still TBA, but will include his current single "She's Mine."

The problem is that they only time Moore isn't thinking about songwriting is when he's asleep ... or when he's surfing. His frequent voyages to Costa Rica seem like plum opportunities to shut it off and focus on the waves, and that would be true if he rolled out of bed onto a board. Typically he's up before the sun on those getaways, enjoying the sounds of the birds and monkeys and a silence he longs for on the road.

“My feet are in the dirt," he starts with a wistful smile. "I’ll get a cup of coffee, I’ll write some lyrics, I’ll jot a couple of ideas and I’ll take a walk through the woods to the beach and I’ll find myself praying and doing things that when I’m here, I just never do.”

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Songs like "Guitar Man" (from Slowheart) and "Crazy One More Time" (from his debut Up All Night) are morning songs. Others, like "She's Mine," are dreamed up at night, after a few drinks.

“I think what I miss so much about mornings is once this life started kicking off 10 years ago, I haven't experienced a morning since," Moore says. "As far as when I’m out there, it’s all just concrete and I’m waking up at 10 or 11 o’clock because it’s just impossible to get that good sleep when the bus is going, for me."

Now pushing 40, Moore admits he's ready to slow down. The creativity likely won't stop, but the sacrifices may soon get further scrutiny. An unreleased song called "Paying Hard" speaks to this.

"Not only is it a mirror to me, but I think it will be a mirror to a lot of people that are doing the same thing," Moore says. "They’re not playing music, but they’re finding themselves neglecting things that maybe they shouldn’t neglect."

This summer, look for Moore on tour with Sam Hunt.

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