Fragile indie songs brimming with melancholy

Concert

Greg Mendez has always been an economical songwriter, someone who wields the power of simplicity and restraint. His songs are simple, cutting truths, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

On Beauty Land – his latest album and debut for Dead Oceans – Mendez takes us on a journey through the eyes of a wry yet forgiving narrator, an underdog who has learned to balance cynicism and faith. The tracks are self-effacing without self-pity, carefully constructed moments of imperfection, channelled through pop melodies, guitars, and a voice that hovers somewhere between fragility and choirboy innocence.

Beauty Land was recorded directly to tape, almost entirely in Mendez’ makeshift home studio in Philadelphia: a small room with no natural light. It is his first full length album since the unexpected breakthrough of his self-titled Greg Mendez from 2023, a slow-burn success following 15 years of writing and recording between Philadelphia and New York.

Beauty Land picks up where Mendez left off three years ago, plumbing the depths of themes like loss, love and addiction. More than ever, the intense, understated clarity of this album shows Mendez at his songwriting best.