Greg Mendez shares pair of new singles ‘Gentle Love / Frog’
Greg Mendez by Stephen Yang
"In less than two minutes, Greg Mendez can express a lifetime’s worth of pain, regret, and resilience.” - Pitchfork
“It's at once a grandiose and understated... Mendez’s severe lyrical specificity opens up entire worlds in which the listener can find themselves.” - Rolling Stone
"In Mendez's hands, coming to terms with the worst of times has led to music so grippingly human, you'll want to hear him grapple with his demons on an endless loop." - NPR
"Mendez’s unrefined, plaintive voice, his piercing melodies, and his conversational but haunting lyrics all mark him out as one of the best songwriters to come out of a city teeming with great songwriters." – Stereogum
“The best songwriters can take visceral moments from their lives and bend them to the palettes of the people listening to them unfold, so they can inject themselves into these spaces; Mendez’s ability to leave that door cracked for the rest of us is what makes him one of our subtlest geniuses.” – Paste
“Nakedly honest and gently strummed indie rock confessionals.” - The FADER
“Sweet, melancholic, and perfectly understated” – Consequence
Today Greg Mendez shares a pair of new singles ‘Gentle Love’ and ‘Frog,’ the latest releases from Mendez’s recently announced new album, Beauty Land, due May 29th via Dead Oceans. The tracks come alongside a music video that Mendez has dubbed a “period piece”, which connects the two songs and was directed by Mendez’s frequent video collaborator, Luke LeCount.
The double-single shows the duality of Mendez’s writing across Beauty Land – it’s unpredictable in the best ways, a record that can swing from something nearly buoyant on ‘Gentle Love’, with full instrumentation (all performed by Mendez), before devolving into something more atmospheric and sparse, and a cosmic and strange lullaby with a simple, pleading refrain: Please forgive me for my faults.
On the album, which was just named one of the most anticipated records of the spring by Pitchfork, and has already earned adulation from outlets like Rolling Stone, Consequence, Paste, Stereogum, and more, we’re guided by a wry but forgiving narrator, an underdog who has learned to balance cynicism and faith. These songs are self-effacing without self-pity, carefully constructed altars of imperfection channelled through pop melodies, shimmering but urgent guitars, and a voice that reaches for choir boy innocence.
The bulk of Beauty Land was recorded directly to tape, almost entirely alone in Mendez’s makeshift home studio in Philadelphia - a small room with no natural light. It’s his first full-length album since his unexpected breakthrough self-titled album in 2023, which was a slow burn success following 15 years of writing and recording music in relative obscurity between Philly and New York. Beauty Land picks up where we left off three years ago – plumbing the depths of grief, love, and addiction – but its intense, quiet clarity shows Mendez at his songwriting best.
Mendez is taking his stark and affecting live show on the road this summer. Tickets are available now via gregmendez.net. All dates below.
Watch Greg Mendez's last music video, ‘I Want To Feel Pretty’ here:
Tour Dates:
10/06 - Washington, DC - Songbyrd #
11/06 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall #
12/06 - Asheville, NC - Static Age #
13/06 - Nashville, TN - The Blue Room #
15/06 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop #
16/06 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon #
17/06 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry #
19/06 - Iowa City, IA - Gabe's Oasis #
20/06 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall #
21/06 - Detroit, MI - Lager House #
23/06 - Toronto, ON - Sound Garage #
24/06 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse Music Hall #
25/06 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery #
26/06 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair #
27/06 - Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom #
30/06 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg #
01/07 - Kingston, NY - Tubby's #
10/07 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church #
31/07 - Durham, NC - Cat's Cradle Back Room ^
01/08 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5 ^
02/08 - New Orleans, LA - Siberia ^
04/08 - Austin, TX - 29th Street Ballroom ^
05/08 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada ^
08/08 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar ^
09/08 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar ^
10/08 - Los Angeles, CA - Sid the Cat Auditorium ^
12/08 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent ^
14/08 - Portland, OR - Polaris ^
15/08 - Seattle, WA - Barboza ^
16/08 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret ^
18/08 - Boise, ID - Shrine Social Club ^
19/08 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court ^
21/08 - Denver, CO - Lost Lake ^
22/08 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar ^
23/08 - St Louis, MO - Off Broadway ^
24/08 - Newport, KY - Southgate House Revival ^
25/08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Bottlerocket ^
# with Scarlet Rae
^ with Maria BC
Greg Mendez
Beauty Land
Out May 29th via Dead Oceans
Tracklisting:
I Wanna Feel Pretty
Looking Out Your Window
Mary / Dreaming
Everybody Wants To Be Your Friend (Except Me)
Gentle Love
Frog
It Breaks My Heart
Sunsick
No Evil
Geranium
Interlude in D Minor
Serving Drinks
So Mean
Concussion
Connect with Greg Mendez
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