Greg Mendez is back with one of his most affecting works yet. The Philadelphia singer-songwriter has released his long-awaited new album ‘Beauty Land,’ his debut LP for Dead Oceans, led by the single “I Wanna Feel Pretty.”
Across the record, we’re guided by a wry but forgiving narrator, an underdog who’s learned to balance cynicism and faith. These songs are self-effacing without self-pity, carefully built altars of imperfection channeled through pop melodies, shimmering but urgent guitars, and a voice reaching for choir-boy innocence.
Mendez has a clear vision for the shot-on-35mm video for “I Wanna Feel Pretty,” directed by Rhys Scarabosio. “I spent most of my childhood in the suburbs, surrounded by the American Dream. Grand and lonely, strip malls and housing developments,” he says. “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.”
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 since his unexpected breakthrough self-titled album in 2023, a slow-burn success that followed 15 years of writing in relative obscurity. The new record picks up where he left off, plumbing the depths of grief, love, and addiction, but its intense, quiet clarity shows him at his songwriting best. As Pitchfork put it, “In less than two minutes, Greg Mendez can express a lifetime’s worth of pain, regret, and resilience.”
Mendez is taking his stark, affecting live show on the road this summer.
Greg Mendez Tour Dates:
June 13 – Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room
June 15 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
June 16 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
June 17 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry
June 19 – Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s Oasis
June 20 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
June 21 – Detroit, MI @ Lager House
June 23 – Toronto, ON @ Sound Garage
June 24 – Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
June 25 – Portland, ME @ SPACE Gallery
June 26 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair
June 27 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
June 30 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
July 1 – Kingston, NY @ Tubby’s
July 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
July 31 – Durham, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room
Aug 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
Aug 2 – New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
Aug 4 – Austin, TX @ 29th Street Ballroom
Aug 5 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Aug 7 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
Aug 8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
Aug 9 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
Aug 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Sid the Cat Auditorium
Aug 12 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Aug 14 – Portland, OR @ Polaris
Aug 15 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza
Aug 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret
Aug 18 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club
Aug 19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Aug 21 – Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
Aug 22 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
Aug 23 – St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
Aug 24 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revival
Aug 25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket