By Azzam Bilal 
HangupsMusic.com – DURHAM, N.C. — Hiss Golden Messenger, the long-running and critically acclaimed project led by songwriter M.C. Taylor, has officially announced the next chapter in its storied discography. The new studio album, titled I’m People, is scheduled for release on May 1 via Chrysalis Records. The announcement marks a significant moment for the North Carolina-based artist, arriving as a follow-up to the vibrant and groove-heavy 2023 release Jump for Joy. Along with the album details, Taylor has unveiled a lead single, a full tracklist, and an extensive North American tour scheduled for the autumn of this year.
The lead single, "In the Middle of It," serves as a thematic and sonic anchor for the upcoming collection. In accompanying press materials, Taylor provided a vivid, almost cinematic backdrop for the song’s inception. He described the track as being deeply rooted in the experience of the American road, specifically citing the desolate and hypnotic stretch of Highway 10 that cuts through the desert landscape between Los Angeles and El Paso. This particular region of the United States has long served as a muse for songwriters seeking to capture the intersection of isolation, spiritual searching, and the vastness of the horizon.
Taylor’s inspiration for the track also leans into the cultural ephemera of the American West. He noted the influence of Art Bell’s legendary paranormal radio program, Coast to Coast AM, which Bell famously broadcast from a "bunker" in the Nevada desert. The imagery of late-night radio waves "droning" across the lightning fields, combined with talk of UFOs, ghosts, and the transient lives of vagabonds, informs the atmospheric weight of "In the Middle of It." According to Taylor, the song captures the sensation of being suspended in the "middle" of various states—be it the physical middle of the country, the narrative arc of a life story, or the complex dynamics of human relationships. It is a song that finds beauty in the engine’s hum and the liminal spaces where the past and future seem to blur.
I’m People will feature twelve new tracks, suggesting a substantial exploration of the themes introduced in the lead single. The tracklist includes evocative titles such as "Who You Gonna Run To?", "Shaky Eyes," "Mercy Ave," and "Seneca (Time Is a Mother, Baby)." Other songs, like "Last Orders," "Gabriel," and "Heavy World," hint at the spiritual and social weight that Taylor has masterfully balanced throughout his career. The album concludes with "Alright," "Spirit Cat," and "Depends on the River," rounding out what appears to be a contemplative and perhaps more nocturnal companion to his previous work.
The transition to Chrysalis Records for this release is a noteworthy development for Hiss Golden Messenger. Chrysalis, a label with a rich history of supporting singular voices, provides a fitting home for Taylor’s unique blend of folk, country-soul, and indie-rock. Since his early days with the project, Taylor has built a reputation for being one of the most prolific and consistent voices in modern Americana. His work often grapples with the tension between domesticity and the call of the road, the demands of the spirit versus the realities of the physical world, and the search for grace in an increasingly fractured society.
To support the release of I’m People, Taylor and his band will embark on a comprehensive tour of the United States beginning in late September. The itinerary is designed to bring the new music to a wide variety of settings, ranging from intimate theaters to legendary rock clubs. The tour kicks off in Colorado with a three-night run through Denver, Beaver Creek, and Aspen. These mountain shows will likely set a high-altitude tone for the performances to follow.
From Colorado, the band will head to the West Coast for a series of dates, including a highly anticipated night at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on October 2. The Troubadour, an iconic venue with deep ties to the history of folk and singer-songwriter movements, is a fitting stage for Taylor’s narrative-driven compositions. The West Coast leg also includes stops in Solana Beach, Healdsburg, Portland, and a two-night stand at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle.
As October progresses, Hiss Golden Messenger will move through the Midwest and the South. Dates in Minneapolis, Newport, and Louisville lead up to a performance at Terminal West in Atlanta. Following a brief mid-tour break, the band will reconvene in early November for a final push through the Northeast and the Atlantic coast. This leg includes performances at the Bearsville Theatre in Woodstock, New York—a town with its own storied history of musical mysticism—as well as Irving Plaza in New York City and the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.
The tour will also hit The Sinclair in Cambridge and The Ark in Ann Arbor before circling back through the Midwest with shows in Chicago and St. Louis. The final stretch of the tour brings the band through Nashville at the Basement East and Richmond at The Broadberry. The journey concludes with a celebratory homecoming in North Carolina. Taylor will perform at The Orange Peel in Asheville before ending the tour with a traditional two-night residency at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on November 21 and 22. These Carrboro shows have become something of an annual pilgrimage for local fans, offering a communal atmosphere where the themes of Taylor’s music—home, family, and community—are felt most acutely.
Reflecting on Taylor’s recent output, I’m People arrives less than two years after Jump for Joy. That 2023 record was widely praised for its optimistic energy and its celebration of the creative spirit. Critics noted that it felt like a "victory lap" for an artist who had spent years honing his craft in the shadows before finding a wide and dedicated audience. If Jump for Joy was a record about the light, "In the Middle of It" suggests that I’m People may be more interested in the shadows, the twilight, and the mysteries that exist in the vast stretches of the American interior.
The mention of Art Bell and the "lightning fields" is particularly telling of Taylor’s current headspace. For decades, Coast to Coast AM served as a campfire for the lonely, the eccentric, and the seekers who stayed up through the night. By invoking this specific brand of desert noir, Taylor aligns his songwriting with a tradition of American storytelling that looks for the extraordinary within the ordinary. It is a world where a simple drive across the desert can become a spiritual journey, and where the static on the radio might just be a message from another realm.
Musically, Hiss Golden Messenger has always been difficult to pin down to a single genre. While often filed under Americana, Taylor’s influences are wide-ranging, incorporating the rhythmic sophistication of Bill Withers, the poetic grit of Townes Van Zandt, and the experimental spirit of the Grateful Dead. His band is known for its tight, soulful chemistry, capable of shifting from a hushed acoustic ballad to a sprawling, psychedelic jam at a moment’s notice.
As fans await the May 1 release of I’m People, "In the Middle of It" provides a compelling entry point. It is a song that feels both grounded and ethereal, much like the desert landscape that inspired it. For M.C. Taylor, the road continues to be a source of both exhaustion and renewal, a place where the stories of the country and the stories of the heart converge. With a new label, a new collection of songs, and a massive tour on the horizon, Hiss Golden Messenger remains firmly in the middle of a remarkable creative journey.
Tickets for the fall tour are expected to be in high demand, reflecting Taylor’s status as a premier live performer in the independent music circuit. Whether performing in the high-desert towns of the West or the humid clubs of the South, the message of I’m People is likely to resonate with anyone who has ever felt suspended between where they have been and where they are going. As the engine sings out over the long lightning fields, M.C. Taylor continues to find the melody in the middle of it all.