Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
Former Jack’s Mannequin frontman Andrew McMahon is about to release his third album as Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Upside Down Flowers, so far preceded by singles for “Ohio” and “Teenage Rockstars.” Both seem a natural continuation of the confessional and conversational style of his 2017 Zombies on Broadway album. “Ohio” concerns how he was in eighth grade when his midwestern family packed up their lives to strike out for what they hoped would be a better life of the sunny left coast of California, only to find dubious rewards that seemed to take generations to pay off.
“Teenage Rockstars” is a piano ballad recounting what seems to be the story of his band as told from a future perspective, reminiscing about how “We partied hard and had our fun, we blew off deadlines and forgot to call our friends” until, years later, “sometimes at the shopping mall, the people say they knew me back when.” The “Rockstars” video spoofs power ballads with comically overplayed performance clips that are equal parts Freddie Mercury at Live Aid and Spinal Tap does “Stonehenge,” replete with piano climbing, crowd surfing, and bloody guitar strings. The album’s support tour wraps at downtown’s House of Blues on March 24.