By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – PHILADELPHIA, The landscape of contemporary indie-folk is often defined by its intimacy, but few artists have managed to capture the specific, haunting resonance of the American Northeast quite like Greg Mendez. Today, the Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter has officially pulled back the curtain on his next major creative chapter. Mendez has announced the upcoming release of his new full-length album, titled Beauty Land, which is scheduled to arrive on May 29th. This release marks a significant milestone in Mendez’s career, serving as his first full-length effort for the prestigious Dead Oceans label since joining their roster in 2024.
The announcement arrives alongside the debut of the album’s lead single, "I Wanna Feel Pretty," a track that blends Mendez’s signature folk sensibilities with a polished, yet melancholic, pop sheen. The single is accompanied by a striking music video directed by Rhys Scarabosio, which provides a visual companion to the song’s themes of identity and artifice. For longtime followers of Mendez, the move to Dead Oceans—a label known for fostering idiosyncratic talents like Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski—represents a natural progression for an artist who has spent years honing a sound that is as fragile as it is resilient.
Beauty Land is described as an album that does not shy away from the heavier aspects of the human condition. It is a record that wrestles openly with the intersecting ghosts of grief, the complexities of love, and the harrowing cycles of addiction. Rather than seeking out a high-end commercial facility, Mendez chose to keep the production process close to home. The album was brought to life in his personal home studio in Pennsylvania, where he took a decidedly analog approach to the recording process. By tracking the songs directly to tape, Mendez has imbued the project with a warm, lived-in texture that reflects the raw honesty of the songwriting. This method of recording—fraught with technical limitations but rich in character—serves as the perfect medium for Mendez’s storytelling, where the hiss of the machine often feels like a second narrator.
This new collection serves as the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2023 self-titled breakthrough. That previous record catapulted Mendez from a local secret in the Philadelphia DIY scene to a critically acclaimed figure on the national stage. While his self-titled work was praised for its stark minimalism and diaristic lyricism, Beauty Land appears to be expanding that universe, looking outward at the environments that shape the internal struggle.
In a press statement accompanying the announcement, Mendez offered a profound look into the inspiration behind the lead single and the broader aesthetic of the album. He reflected on his upbringing in the American suburbs, a setting he describes with a mixture of nostalgia and alienation. “I spent most of my childhood in the suburbs, surrounded by the American Dream,” Mendez shared. He characterized these spaces as “grand and lonely,” defined by the repetitive architecture of strip malls and housing developments. To Mendez, these locations are more than just geographical points; they are “cathedrals of consumerism and reconstituted culture.”
His critique of the suburban landscape goes deeper than simple aesthetics. Mendez posits that these environments were not designed for human connection, but rather for the facilitation of commerce. “The stores weren’t built for the towns, the towns were built for the stores,” he noted. “No one really belongs. The dream is close enough to smell but as soon as you reach out, your hand passes right through—a hologram of a promise. I hoped this video would feel like that.” This concept of the "hologram of a promise" seems to be the central pillar of Beauty Land, suggesting an album that explores the gap between what we are told to want and the reality of what we actually feel.
The music video for “I Wanna Feel Pretty” mirrors this sentiment, utilizing Scarabosio’s directorial eye to capture that specific sense of suburban displacement. The folk-pop arrangement of the track provides a deceptive lightness, masking the weight of the lyrical content—a juxtaposition that has become a hallmark of Mendez’s writing style. By leaning into more melodic structures while maintaining his lo-fi roots, Mendez is positioning himself as an artist capable of bridging the gap between underground experimentation and broader accessibility.
To support the release of Beauty Land, Mendez has also unveiled plans for an extensive North American tour that will span the summer months. The tour is set to feature a rotating cast of supporting acts, including the ethereal Maria BC and the rising Scarlet Rae. The itinerary is a testament to Mendez’s growing reach, featuring stops in major markets across the United States as well as key performances in Canada.
The tour will begin in early June on the East Coast, hitting venues like Washington, D.C.’s Songbyrd and Richmond Music Hall before moving through the South and the Midwest. Canadian fans will have two opportunities to catch the live show, with dates scheduled for Toronto’s Sound Garage and Vancouver’s Biltmore Cabaret. The trek concludes in late August with a homecoming of sorts in Pittsburgh at the Bottlerocket, following a dense run of shows through the West Coast and the Southwest.
The tracklist for Beauty Land suggests a narrative arc that is both sprawling and deeply personal. Comprising 14 tracks, the album includes titles like "Everybody Wants To Be Your Friend (Except Me)," "Interlude in D Minor," and the closing track "Concussion." These titles hint at a record that balances moments of wry humor with periods of intense vulnerability. The inclusion of shorter instrumental or transitional pieces like "Interlude in D Minor" suggests that the album is intended to be heard as a cohesive whole—a sonic journey through the "Beauty Land" that Mendez has constructed.
For those who have followed the Philadelphia music scene, Mendez’s rise is a source of local pride. The city has long been a breeding ground for influential indie acts, and Mendez’s success is a continuation of that legacy. His ability to capture the specific malaise of the modern era—the feeling of being "sunsick" or "looking out your window" at a world that feels increasingly disconnected—has resonated with a generation of listeners seeking authenticity in an era of digital artifice.
As May 29th approaches, the anticipation for Beauty Land continues to build. It is not merely a new set of songs, but a statement of intent from an artist who is refining his voice in real-time. By recording to tape and exploring the "holographic" nature of modern life, Greg Mendez is inviting listeners into a world that is both familiar and strangely alien. It is a world of "Gentle Love" and "No Evil," but also one of "Concussions" and "Geraniums"—a world that, much like the suburbs he describes, is beautiful from a distance but reveals its cracks upon closer inspection.
The full tracklist for Beauty Land is as follows:
01 I Wanna Feel Pretty
02 Looking Out Your Window
03 Mary / Dreaming
04 Everybody Wants To Be Your Friend (Except Me)
05 Gentle Love
06 Frog
07 It Breaks My Heart
08 Sunsick
09 No Evil
10 Geranium
11 Interlude in D Minor
12 Serving Drinks
13 So Mean
14 Concussion
Greg Mendez 2024 North American Tour Dates:
06-10 Washington, DC – Songbyrd #
06-11 Richmond, VA – Richmond Music Hall #
06-12 Asheville, NC – Static Age #
06-13 Nashville, TN – The Blue Room #
06-15 Bloomington, IN – The Bishop #
06-16 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon #
06-17 Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry #
06-19 Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s Oasis #
06-20 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall #
06-21 Detroit, MI – Lager House #
06-23 Toronto, Ontario – Sound Garage #
06-24 Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall #
06-25 Portland, ME – SPACE Gallery #
06-26 Boston, MA – The Sinclair #
06-27 Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom #
06-30 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg #
07-01 Kingston, NY – Tubby’s #
07-10 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church #
07-31 Durham, NC – Cat’s Cradle Back Room ^
08-01 Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5 ^
08-02 New Orleans, LA – Siberia ^
08-04 Austin, TX – 29th Street Ballroom ^
08-05 Dallas, TX – Club Dada ^
08-08 Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar ^
08-09 San Diego, CA – Soda Bar ^
08-10 Los Angeles, CA – Sid the Cat Auditorium ^
08-12 San Francisco, CA – The Independent ^
08-14 Portland, OR – Polaris ^
08-15 Seattle, WA – Barboza ^
08-16 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret ^
08-18 Boise, ID – Shrine Social Club ^
08-19 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court ^
08-21 Denver, CO – Lost Lake ^
08-22 Kansas City, MO – Record Bar ^
08-23 St Louis, MO – Off Broadway ^
08-24 Newport, KY – Southgate House Revival ^
08-25 Pittsburgh, PA – Bottlerocket ^
(# with Scarlet Rae; ^ with Maria BC)