5 April 2024 – "The indie rocker’s music is marked by his compassionate, conversational lyricism and grounded, grungy sound” – NPR

“Vulnerable and rough-edged outpourings inspired by love, queer identity and spiritual restlessness.” – NME

Medium Build’s highly anticipated new album Country is out today on slowplay/Island Records. In celebration, the artist is debuting the official video for the album track “Stick Around".

“I hope people take a second to think about the loved ones that gave them reasons to stay alive,” details Medium Build of the new song. “Sometimes it’s someone you may not even be with anymore, but for a brief moment your life intersected and their little life changed ur dna and convinced you to keep going for a while.”

Country finds singer-songwriter Nick Carpenter — aka Medium Build—wrestling with the idea of home across the album’s twelve songs. Born in Georgia with a close relationship to his Southern roots, the artist now splits his time between hometowns in Anchorage, Alaska and Nashville, Tennessee. “I wanted this album to have my goddamn DNA on it,” Nick details. “I wanted Country to have a human touch. I want Country to be something you love with and dance with and cry with and sleep with and lean into.”

Fittingly, the album was recorded on Nashville’s Music Row alongside creative partner Laiko, where the two experimented with genre and style. “We made the album we wanted to make,” Nick says. “It’s so easy to get back in touch with yourself if you can throw off the heavy cloak of duty and just do something that feels good.” Identifying as queer, Nick draws inspiration from his own exploration of sexual identity and sonically blends classic country, ’80s new wave, ‘90s rap and hip-hop.

Leading up to the release, Medium Build has previously shared the album tracks “Knowing U Exist,” “Cutting Thru The Country,” “Crying Over U” and “In My Room.”

Medium Build is set to open for Tyler Childers on a pair of sold-out shows in Los Angeles and San Diego this April, followed by a headline tour in support of the new music. The headline dates kick off May 14 in St. Louis and include stops across North America in Denver, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto, New York City, Washington D.C. and more, with a number of the dates already sold-out. He is also set to play at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza; see below for a complete list of dates.

Creating Medium Build in 2015, Nick has gone on to release five studio albums to date. He has become a favorite across the creative community, with artists including John Mayer, Zach Bryan, Elton John, Boygenius and more counting themselves amongst his fans. He has toured with the likes of Lewis Capaldi, FINNEAS, Holly Humberstone and Briston Maroney, and found himself in a highly coveted slot on Zane Lowe’s Artists to Watch 2024 list. In 2023, his collaboration with X Ambassadors on “Friend For Life” found him entering the Billboard charts for the first time.

MEDIUM BUILD

Country—LP Tracklist

1. Beach Chair
2. In My Room
3. Crying Over U
4. Relief
5. Cutting Thru The Country
6. Knowing U Exist
7. Coming Home Drunk (Interlude)
8. Known By Name
9. Hey Sandra
10. Can’t Be Cool Forever
11. Say It Back
12. Stick Around