Making original music after an almost two-decade hiatus, MD McNally’s debut solo LP The Marvelous is a lush, harmonic romp through classic, prog, and jam-band rock, new wave, alt-country, and modern indie. Whether drenching his melodies in a thick fog of luscious guitar tone or elegantly illustrating anthemic folk with eloquent fingerstyle playing, McNally and his tight-as-heck bandmates deliver with heartfelt, easy confidence. From languid soft-psych ballads to rolling Heartland rock – all laced together by a fierce determination “not to be so damn sullen” – McNally’s creative vision is always front and center.

Set for release on April 1, The Marvelous is available to listen in advance below:

Here’s MD McNally: “About 20 years ago, I moved to Austin to pursue songwriting full-time with the hope of finding bandmates like I had in high school. I ended up playing solo acoustic shows in pubs and clubs with my one dependable friend for free sandwiches. Most of my time was spent behind the bar trying to make rent, and after a few years I rolled back to Milwaukee on fumes. As a singer-songwriter, I was very well received, albeit from a passionate few. My soul craved stability, and with a lot of help, I found some in a totally different career. Not far below the surface, though, I was always called to music. I played here and there, mostly funerals for some reason, but it was something to keep the coals warm.

I didn’t start out thinking about making a record, I just really wanted to see if I could make a couple of the old songs sound like they were supposed to, as in a full rock band format. I surprised myself with what materialized when I started layering guitar and bass parts and demoing them with simple drum loops. I finally felt my music in 3D and it was incredible. All of a sudden I was flooded with ideas that I could build song parts around. I kept a guitar strapped tight, the recording equipment on, and crafted one at a time. I think I had 8 or 9 before believing I could push toward an LP. The sounds had never been more vivid in my head and I worked relentlessly to get something not just interesting and listenable, but danceable or moveable too. The best feeling was to play the day’s work for my wife and our young kids to see if I had done enough to get the hips shaking or even some ground spinning. The Marvelous sure feels like a long time coming, but really it’s my re-entry point. I’ve already tracked another dozen or so songs and can’t wait to see if anyone wants to hear them.”