"I always thought that was such an interesting word, because it does mean that you're grounded and you don't have a big head about something – but I think that for me, over the last two years, that word has changed. I think it means you're the closest to your compass that you've ever been. It's not for public consumption of how relatable you are. [...] I think taking that power back with that word is why I wrote the song "Humble Quest" – how it's going to be an ongoing conversation and journey and will probably never end. And I'm okay with that. We're all just awkwardly feeling our way through this weird world."
The song “What Would This World Do” is a tribute to Michael Busbee, the producer who worked on each of Morris’ previous records and died from brain cancer in 2019.[8]
Release and promotion
The album's lead single "Circles Around This Town" was released on January 7, 2022.[9] "I Can't Love You Anymore" was released as the album's second single on September 26, 2022.[10]
On November 4, 2022, Morris released a companion album, Humble Quest: In Rare Form, featuring stripped-back versions of seven of the album's tracks.[11]
Sam Sodomsky by Pitchfork defined the album "creatively adventurous" pointing out that "the gentle approach of Humble Quest feels antithetical to the dominating trends of today’s pop music", because in the album "Morris sounds mostly pleased to be herself".[8] Writing for Consequence Mary Siroky find out that it is "a more organic record than its predecessor; [...] attributes both to the no-pressure timeline while writing the tracks and the distance from Nashville" and that the album "offers chances for longtime listeners to enjoy some of the things for which Morris has become so beloved" as of "authenticity, massive vocals, and a bit of lyrical playfulness".[16]Billboard wrote that the production is "intimacy permeates the often subtle" witch let the "listener into different corners of her world" becoming "her most inviting work".[17]
