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Jun 19, 2023 By Caleb Campbell

Mason Lowe has drummed for a number of Seattle bands over the years, most recently with a classic rock-inspired outfit, Bread & Butter. After the momentum behind the band’s sophomore album was slowed by the pandemic, Lowe began writing his own solo debut album, Morning People, pulling together a sunny and nostalgic sound with influences from power pop, ‘60s girl groups, and grunge. The album is out everywhere later this week on June 23rd, but today Lowe is sharing an early listen to one of the record’s highlights, “Hanging Around,” along with an accompanying video, premiering with Under the Radar.

With “Hanging Around” Lowe delivers a breezy power pop offering in the vein of bands like Big Star or Teenage Fanclub, complete with the requisite jangly guitars, swooning vocal harmonies, and summery energy. Yet, Lowe also brings out a certain tender nostalgia with his lyricism. Beneath the lovestruck confessions, it feels as if he is truly dreaming about life’s easier days, when the biggest concern was simply hanging around a new crush.

Lowe says of the track, “This was the first song written for the record. It was a rough time. I dealing with the first few dips of the Covid roller coaster and my personal life was kind of a wreck. And yet, here comes this delightfully candid song about having a crush on someone! It surprised me! The honesty of the lyrics in this song set the course for the whole record.”

That teenage feel-good vibe equally comes through with the video, which finds Lowe packed into a van with Shane Herrell (Bread & Butter) and Maria-Elena Juarez (Acapulco Lips), cruising around Seattle and picking up lost dogs and greenery. Lowe says of the video “I love how the video starts with a foot stomping a gas pedal and me getting knocked on my butt. That’s what this song did to me! It was the first song I wrote for the album and the way it rushes forward set the tone for all the other tracks. This video combines all the things I love most in life: rock and roll, vans, good friends, gas station fashion, junk food, small dogs, and, uh, plants!”

Check out the song and video below. Morning People is out June 23rd via Killroom Records.