Prelude Press
Prelude Press – An independent music outlet focused on discovering and sharing the best emerging artists and diving deeper with the ones you already love.
Following much anticipation, innovative singer, songwriter, and visual artist Madilyn Mei finally pulls back the curtain on their anxiously awaited new album, A Thousand Songs About It All: Act I, out now via Mercury Records.
Taking a myriad of twists and turns throughout its twelve tracks, A Thousand Songs About It All: Act I opens up a gateway into Madilyn Mei’s world, revolving around an entire spectrum of emotions. Among many highlights, warm acoustic guitar gives way to an adhesively catchy hook on “Velcro” as they nostalgically croon, “Bunny ears and loopty loops, I miss the velcro on my shoes.” Sinking their teeth into “Comfort Food,” pitched-up vocals amplify the complex emotion of the confession, “The crumbs in my bed try to comfort me.” Then, there’s “My Name.” Echoes of dreamy flute thread around softly strummed acoustic chords. A crucial realization peeks through the haze, “I am my soul, I’m not my body or name.” It quietly doubles as both a mission statement and a clarion call for the artist’s identity. In epic fashion, the project concludes with “Intermission (Adieu Until Act 2).” Signaling the future, the song leaves off, “We bid adieu until Act 2, come back to the One Man Circus soon.”
On the album, Madilyn Mei has crafted an infectious intergalactic pop grounded by just the right amount of vaudevillian whimsy and relatable emotion.
Regarding the album, Madilyn Mei commented “A Thousand Songs About It All: Act I is about the dichotomy of how well my career has been going while my mental health and personal life have been deteriorating at the same time. It’s about burn out, the pressures I feel both in music and my personal life, identity, mental health, family and the overall life and feelings of a touring 22-year old queer musician trying to find their place in the world.”
In support of the release Madilyn Mei revealed the official music video for their single “Velcro.” Notably, the video was directed and edited by Madilyn Mei.
Madilyn Mei also premiered a very special live performance video of the fan favorite single “What’s Going On?!” this week on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show Me Music” web series. Watch HERE.
In other news, “One Man Circus” blazed a trail for A Thousand Songs About It All: Act I. Beyond gathering nearly 1 million total streams, it claimed coveted real estate on Spotify playlists such as “Limelight,” and Madilyn Mei adorned the cover of the “EQUAL US” playlist.
It follows the buzzing “A Can of Worms,” which has earned enthusiastic acclaim and begun to pick up traction on DSPs. In its wake, OnesToWatch extensively spoke to them, hailing “this young and promising artist’s very unique approach.”
Shining on stage, Madilyn Mei just enchanted crowds as part of AJR’s massive summer amphitheater tour, joining a diverse cohort of fellow special guests such as Quinn XCII, Chelsea Cutler, Cavetown, Goth Babe, and Valley. They will grace the bill of the jaunt’s final show at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA.
As a whole, A Thousand Songs About It All: Act 1 sees them unflinchingly process anxiety, alienation, identity, and loneliness by projecting such emotions in widescreen across a galaxy-sized sonic palette where creative boundaries are effectively irrelevant and feeling reigns supreme.
This fall, Madilyn Mei will launch The One Man Circus 30-date headline tour, kicking off on September 17 in Tucson, AZ, visiting major markets coast-to-coast, and concluding on November 15 in Dallas, TX. The majority of the tour is already sold out, but remaining tickets are on sale HERE. They will be supported by Rabbitology, Amelia Day, and Scrawny.
Check out the full tour itinerary below.
TOUR DATES WITH AJR:
10/4 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
THE ONE MAN CIRCUS TOUR DATES:
9/17 Tucson, AZ+ [SOLD OUT]
9/19 San Diego, CA+ [SOLD OUT]
9/20 Anaheim, CA+ [SOLD OUT]
9/21 San Francisco, CA+ [SOLD OUT]
9/23 Sacramento, CA+ [SOLD OUT]
9/26 Portland, OR+ [SOLD OUT]
9/27 Seattle, WA+ [SOLD OUT]
9/30 Boise, ID+
10/1 Salt Lake City, UT+ [SOLD OUT]
10/3 Denver, CO^ [SOLD OUT]
10/15 Minneapolis, MN*
10/17 Chicago, IL*
10/18 Columbus, OH* [SOLD OUT]
10/19 Ann Arbor, MI* [SOLD OUT]
10/22 Toronto, ON* [SOLD OUT]
10/24 Burlington, VT*
10/25 Portland, ME*
10/26 Montreal, QC* [SOLD OUT]
10/29 Boston, MA* [SOLD OUT]
10/31 Brooklyn, NY*
11/1 Philadelphia, PA* [SOLD OUT]
11/2 Washington, D.C.* [SOLD OUT]
11/4 Richmond, VA*
11/5 Carrboro, NC* [SOLD OUT]
11/7 Asheville, NC* [SOLD OUT]
11/8 Atlanta, GA* [SOLD OUT]
11/13 Houston, TX* [SOLD OUT]
11/14 Austin, TX*
11/15 Dallas, TX* [SOLD OUT]
+Rabbitology
^Scrawny
*Amelia Day