Beauty Land follows Mendez’s self-titled debut album, released in 2023, and sees him expand upon the themes of grief, love, and addiction introduced with his first record. “I Wanna Feel Pretty” arrives as the first preview of the collection of songs led by “a wry but forgiving narrator”, alongside a shot-on-35mm video directed by Rhys Scarabosio.
Discussing the video, Mendez explains: “I spent most of my childhood in the suburbs, surrounded by the American Dream. Grand and lonely, strip malls and housing developments. Cathedrals of consumerism and reconstituted culture. The stores weren’t built for the towns, the towns were built for the stores. No one really belongs. 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.”
Most of Beauty Land was recorded directly to tape in near-complete solitude in Mendez’s home studio. It captures feelings of an underdog who is cynical yet faithful in what is noted as an album that sees Mendez at his songwriting best across his fifteen year journey of writing and recording music.
Beauty Land artwork
Beauty Land tracklist
“I Wanna Feel Pretty”
“Looking Out Your Window”
“Mary / Dreaming”
“Everybody Wants To Be Your Friend (Except Me)”
“Gentle Love”
“Frog”
“It Breaks My Heart”
“Sunsick”
“No Evil”
“Geranium”
“Interlude in D Minor”
“Serving Drinks”
“So Mean”
“Concussion”
