Pete Mancini has made an art form of suburban ennui, highlighting the cracks in the facade of perfection and the anxiety of keeping up with the Joneses. He sets it all to a dreamy, 70s-inspired soundtrack -- something akin to what would have happened if Neil Young knew about REM. As always, Mancini hits the bullseye on "Golden Hour," a tragic character sketch of people who can never quite hide their pain.

The single comes off his new EP, The Commonwealth Sessions, out May 5, an intermediary project between his previous album, Killing the Old Ways, and his upcoming project.

"After finishing Killing The Old Ways, I went on a writing tear and hit my goal of 30 songs," Mancini tells The Boot. "My next album is done, but I had some songs left over that didn't quite fit in. I suppose you can call them misfit songs. The timing was right, so I decided to record them at home. I called this collection The Commonwealth Sessions because I wanted to honor the neighborhood I grew up in. 

As is often the case with a new project, the songs took on a life of their own," he continues. "Joe Leone and Delaney Hafener (The Belle Curves) made some stellar contributions and Nick Messitte's fab mixes brought everything to life. I think we ended up with a great group of tunes. Looking forward to Volume 2."

Listen to "Golden Hour" below:

Mancini got his start as the frontman and songwriter of Butchers Blind, a critically-acclaimed rock band from New York City. His 2017 debut solo album Foothill Freeway garnered rave reviews from NPR, No Depression and Newsday. In the Summer of 2020, Mancini flew down to Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, Miss., to begin work on his third album, Killing The Old Ways

Produced by Matt Patton (Drive-By Truckers) and Bronson Tew, the 10-song collection marked a significant artistic leap forward. The album was finally released in 2022 to widespread critical praise and was included on several best-of-year lists.

Mancini will celebrate the release of The Commonwealth Sessions with his band, the Hillside Airmen, at the Mayday Music Festival on May 13, sharing the stage with Blues Traveler, The Wallflowers, Wheatus and John Hampson (Nine Days). You can find more information on upcoming tour dates at Pete Mancini's official website.

10 Most-Played Americana Albums of 2022

From new releases from Brandi Carlile, The Lumineers and Caamp, take a look at which albums were played the most on Americana radio stations in 2022.

More From Gator 99.5