Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Heads Out on a “Blue Vacation” (premiere)

It’s been just about four years to the day since Andrew McMahon first stepped foot “in the Wilderness” with a debut solo LP. Since then, the singer-songwriter has only delved further into his imaginative, inward-looking pop dream world. McMahon’s music has evolved into something replete with shimmering melodies and ineradicable rhythm, by all means harvesting a continuously more bewitching soundscape as his solo portfolio has grown. His third album under the “in the Wilderness” moniker, Upside Down Flowers, is set for release via Fantasy on 16 November. McMahon is sharing a new single that wonderfully captures both the surrealism and emotionalism imbued into his overarching work.

Within its first ten seconds, “Blue Vacation” is already set to captivate with its glistening production, invoking an atmospheric wistfulness and sensibility into the hook-laden anthem well before it makes liftoff. As McMahon soars across its chorus, the song unfurls, imbued with an enlivened sense of heart and tinges of nostalgia. It’s a spacey slice of grandiose pop music well-deserving of the tapping feet and bobbing heads that it will usher in with its undeniable sway. Albeit, it’s also something more than that—something clearly personal for McMahon that has always made his songwriting that much more of a treat to give one’s ear, especially in how it has flourished the last couple of decades.

TOUR DATES

January 23rd – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren

January 25th – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues

January 26th – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s BBQ

January 27th – Houston, TX @ House of Blues

January 29th – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues

January 30th – Nashville, TN @ Marathon Music Works

February 7th – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues

February 8th – Jacksonville, FL @ Maverick’s At the Landing

February 9th – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz

February 10th – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa

February 15th – Philadelphia, PA @ Metropolitan Opera House

February 16th – Niagara Falls, NY @ Rapids Theatre

February 17th – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount

February 19th – Boston, MA @ House of Blues

February 21st – New York, NY @ Terminal 5

February 22nd – Mashantucket, CT @ Fox Theatre- Foxwoods Casino

February 23rd – Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall

February 24th – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

February 26th – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall

February 28th – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre

March 1st – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore

March 2nd – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre

March 3rd – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

March 5th – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater

March 7th – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant

March 9th – Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium

March 10th – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up

March 12th – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot

March 14th – Missoula, MT @ The Wilma

March 15th – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre

March 16th – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater

March 19th – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades

March 21st – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater

March 22nd – Los Angeles, CA @ The Orpheum

March 23rd – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues

March 24th – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues