Brand new single from Gregory McLoughlin

For years, Gregory McLoughlin has been bringing music back to its most human form; one person, one song, one moment at a time. With little more than a bass, a kick drum and a foot tambourine, he’s turned sidewalks, parking lots and festival campsites into spontaneous stages, reminding us that music can still connect strangers and still feel alive in the simplest of settings. After decades spent as a sideman, he now steps into his own musical world with his self-titled debut album, Gregory McLoughlin, due out on December 12th, a release that captures both the spirit of his journey and the deep sense of community that’s fuelled it.

Raised in Westchester County, New York, Gregory’s earliest rhythms came from his father’s steady footsteps as a runner, a metronome that underscored family life. The glow of late-night reruns of The Donna Reed Show offered comfort amid instability, while his teenage years were soundtracked by hair metal and MTV’s Headbangers Ball. But it was a stray Grateful Dead cassette that changed everything, introducing him to the improvisational freedom of the jam scene, a musical world where connection mattered more than perfection.

By his twenties, he’d relocated to the Bronx, where he pulled an old bass from under a couch and began teaching himself by ear, leading him through years of gigs, failed auditions and long nights dveloping his own sound. Eventually, he found his footing as bassist for groove-driven outfit BuzzUniverse, a run that built up his flair for live performance. Later, a songwriting course at Berklee College of Music reignited his creative spark, setting him on a new path that would finally place his own stories front and centre.

Joining the Busking Down the House online community, he hosted a weekly livestream during the pandemic called TGIM (Thank God It’s Monday), transforming Mondays into something hopeful. The sessions became a ritual, a gathering of familiar faces from around the world, drawn together by his warmth and sincerity. Offline, he took his songs into the real world through a new form of busking, one listener at a time, no amps, no gimmicks, just a conversation through music. Sometimes they said no. Sometimes they sang along. Occasionally, whole campsites would join in and those small moments became the heartbeat of his debut record.

Following the release of his lead single “Businessman,” Gregory now shares “Photograph,” the second wondow into the album. The track, he recalls, “entered lifted straight from a dream of bleachers and a chant-like swing.” Built on a grooving rhythmic shuffle and breezy melodic vocals, it captures his intuitive approach to songwriting to deliver a charming jam that frames his delightful performance talents in a reggae-tinged pop outing.

Brimming with warm backing vocals, intricate guitar rhythms and smooth organ textures, “Photograph” serves up a timeless musical moment that’s truly impossible not to love. It’s the perfect snapshot of his artistic output, a dream-born, rhythm-driven and quietly profound single that captures his sound in a buoyant recording. With his highly anticipated debut full-length record landing at the end of this week, we can’t wait to see what Gregory McLoughlin has in store next.

Listen to Photograph below

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