Plenty of artists talk about authenticity. Gregory McLoughlin built a system around it. Before his self-titled debut album arrives on December 12th, the New Jersey-based songwriter spent years stress-testing his material in the most unforgiving setting imaginable: one person standing a few feet away, deciding in real time whether to care. Bass in hand, tambourine on his foot, he would walk up to strangers and open with a simple line: “I’m an up-and-coming singer-songwriter. Can I play you a song?”
That experiment in radical proximity explains why Gregory McLoughlin feels so lived in. These songs are built on specific faces, fleeting moments, and an almost stubborn refusal to hide behind studio sheen. “Businessman,” the album’s lead single, is a prime example. Out now on all platforms with a companion video, it pulls narrative inspiration from The Johnstown Flood while focusing on emotional consequence instead of historical trivia. Tight arrangement, sharp character work, and a hook that carries real weight give the track its punch.
His backstory clarifies the discipline. Growing up in Westchester County in a house that did not always feel stable, he found strange comfort in late-night reruns of The Donna Reed Show and, later, in the endless road of the Grateful Dead. There were no conservatory hallways, only bands, misfires, borrowed chances, and a Coursera/Berklee course that helped him organize what his ear already knew. That path produced a writer who understands how to compress experience into a few clean lines instead of reaching for slogans.
On December 13th, McLoughlin steps onto the stage at Garcia’s at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester to celebrate his album release as part of the “Get The Led Out” pre-show and afterparty. It is an apt setting for a record built on patient craft.
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