Beauty Land (Cassette)

On this album, we're guided by a wry but forgiving narrator, an underdog who has learned to balance cynicism and faith. These songs are self-effacing without self-pity, carefully constructed altars of imperfection channeled through pop melodies, shimmering but urgent guitars, and a voice that reaches for choir boy innocence.

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 album since his unexpected breakthrough self-titled album in 2023, which was a slow burn success following 15 years of writing and recording music in relative obscurity between Philly and New York. Beauty Land picks up where we left off three years ago - plumbing the depths of grief, love, and addiction - but its intense, quiet clarity shows Mendez at his songwriting best.