new single
Maintain
Available now on all platforms!
🌵 Hudson Mueller // Welcome to Earth // 03/28/2025
Hudson Mueller has always been something of an outlaw philosopher. Like his spirit guide Willie Nelson, he follows his musical instincts wherever they lead – even when those paths aren't particularly convenient or commercially strategic. On his stunning debut solo album Welcome to Earth, Mueller delivers a collection of songs that showcase his gifts as a storyteller while expanding the sonic possibilities of the Americana genre.
"I've spent the last 30+ years writing songs and playing in bands," Mueller reflects. "I don't have any big hits from a commercial standpoint. Not much money or fame to speak of. Willie hasn't recorded any of my songs yet. But I've had some bonafide adventure, and I've forged some incredible friendships through music. It's the closest thing I've found to real magic."
The magic is evident throughout Welcome to Earth, especially in the lead single "Money vs. Fame," which takes aim at the corrupting influence of success in the music industry. With its cutting lyrics ("Fame is just a prison with bars of solid gold / Money can be useful but it's poison to the soul") and innovative blend of folk storytelling with modern production techniques, the track serves as both a mission statement and a warning shot across the bow of an industry increasingly focused on metrics over meaning.
The Austin-born, Houston-based songwriter first cut his teeth with folk favorites The Hudsons (AMA Best Folk Band 2007, 2009) before relocating to New York City in 2009 and forming The Gold Magnolias, quickly becoming one of the city's most exciting southern soul bands. But Welcome to Earth represents a return to Mueller's storytelling roots, albeit with a sonic palette expanded by his years in the city's diverse music scene.
The album came together during the pandemic when producer Mike Bloom (who Mueller knew from their days working together at Soundhouse) called with an unusual proposal. "He said that he had just woken up from a dream in which we were working on a record together," Mueller recalls. "That's funny," I replied, "I just finished recording demos for a new record. I'll send them your way."
The resulting collaboration pushes genre boundaries while maintaining the intimacy of Mueller's earlier folk work. On "Love is Love," Mueller combines hi-strung and baritone guitars to create a Byrds-like jangle that supports his message of radical inclusivity: "Find the place where your love ends / And then extend love just a little bit more." The production builds to a gloriously weird outro that showcases the record's experimental edge.
The title track takes its inspiration from Kurt Vonnegut's imagined handbook for newborns. "Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth," Vonnegut wrote. "It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded... There's only one rule that I know of, babies – 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'" Mueller's song version maintains Vonnegut's mix of clear-eyed realism and fundamental optimism while adding his own observations about systemic inequality: "You have two parents who love and take care of you / You are a fortunate child / Some of the rest may be born into poverty / Their life will sure be a trial."
The album features contributions from an all-star cast of musicians, including upright bassist Daniel Foose, Mueller's childhood neighbor and lifelong friend. One of the album's most powerful moments comes on "Maintain," which features a gospel choir led by Mueller's high school friend Vincent Powell (American Idol, Season 12). The choir session at The Creamery studio in Brooklyn became one of the most memorable moments of Mueller's career. "Voices moving in harmony is just about my favorite thing in music," he says. "They brought such electricity to the song."
As Mueller prepares to release Welcome to Earth, he remains focused on the magic that drew him to music in the first place. "This album is my little book of spells," he says. "It's the moments and memories that are important to me. It's a collection of feelings that I've crystallized and cared for."
RIYL: John Prine, Willie Nelson, Kurt Vonnegut's prose set to Americana arrangements, Tom Petty's storytelling heart wrapped in experimental production🌵
