Photo by Stephen Yang

Greg Mendez, our understated and self-deprecating songwriting underdog is readying a big swing with the release of Beauty Land, his sophomore effort and first for the big indie powerhouse, Dead Oceans, but label sizes don’t seem to be affecting the size of his sound. Just the size of his sighs. Its latest previews comes in the two-fold with “Gentle Love” and “Frog” — two slight poses of his intimate bedroom-pop stylings from different corners of the room.

With “Gentle Love”, the Philly wordsmith cuts you through the heart with just a buoyant six-string, unadorned drum, whistling, and — is that a xylophone? — while parading around his own inherited downfalls. “So I’ll make the same mistakes / Commanded from above / Where I’ve got my father’s hands / But not his gentle love,” he sings. “Frog” offers up an apology for such perceived shortcomings through a sparse, glow-in-the-dark Casiotone rumination. Forgiveness is what he pleas for, but there may not be a reason he need expect an answer once positioning himself so vulnerable through his art. Step outside and inside with these thoughts and listens in its double-feature music video below…

Directed by: Luke LeCount

Greg Mendez’ Beauty Land will be released May 29th on Dead Oceans.