MEDIUM BUILD CONFIRMS NEW ALBUM KING OF HAVING FUN
SET FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 4 ON
SLOWPLAY/ISLAND RECORDS
UNVEILS NEW TRACK “ARMOR”
HEADLINE “KING OF HAVING FUN ON TOUR”
DATES THIS FALL +
SUMMER DATES SUPPORTING MUMFORD & SONS
26 JUNE 2026 (TORONTO, ON) —Medium Build—a.k.a. acclaimed singer-songwriter Nick Carpenter— is set for the release of his new album King of Having Fun September 4 on slowplay/Island Records. He is sharing a first taste of the new music with the track “Armor;” listen HERE/share HERE. Pre-order/pre-save the album HERE.
“‘Armor’ is the first song I knew was on the album. The most transparent look into my no filter stream of consciousness,” says Carpenter of the track. “The lyrics and the music pair up to imprint the feeling of unease and awareness that comes with being alive nowadays. If you listen to the lyrics there’s a lot to chew on, if you just vibe the music there’s a lot to bop to. Hope it leaves you better than it found you.”
King of Having Fun marks Carpenter’s first full length album since 2024’s much-lauded Country, which saw extensive critical acclaim from Paper, Billboard, The Tennessean, NME and many others, while Rolling Stone featured Carpenter in their “Future 25” feature. The album was recorded live in-studio with his closest friends and collaborators, including musical director Paul Rogers, engineer Jimmy Manfield, “atmospheric moodmaker” Jake LiBassi and more, often approaching each song from a perspective of playing live in bigger rooms and focusing on “rock and roll moments.” Carpenter explores multiple genres with traces of ’90s pop-country, modern country, rock, indie and more across the LP’s 14 tracks.
“I’m swinging for some big ideas, and I’m proud of how I showed up lyrically, leaving it all out there,” Carpenter details. “There’s a playfulness, sonically, and it’s a big collaboration, with six or seven people involved on almost every tune.”
He goes on to explain, “I’ve had no problem describing how sucky it is to be with someone; I’ve never been good at writing about how nice it can be. So this record feels like the first time I was able to say, in an artistic way that didn’t feel cloying, ‘Thank you for loving me”… This album has a genuine love song for my partner and a genuine love song for my mom… I guess it’s a sign of my growth. It’s maybe the best and most important thing I’ve ever made…. It’s a celebration of life.”
Medium Build is on the road supporting Mumford & Sons this August ahead of a fall headline tour. See below for a list of dates.
Born and raised in Georgia, Carpenter now splits his time between hometowns in Nashville, Tennessee and Anchorage, Alaska. Creating Medium Build in 2015, Nick Carpenter has gone on to release five studio albums to date. He has become a favorite across the creative community, with artists including John Mayer, Zach Bryan, Elton John, boygenius and more counting themselves amongst his fans. He has toured with the likes of Role Model, Tyler Childers, FINNEAS, Holly Humberstone and Briston Maroney, and found himself in a highly coveted slot on Zane Lowe’s Artists to Watch 2024 list. In 2025, he was nominated for Emerging Act of the Year at the 24th Annual Americana Honors & Awards.
MEDIUM BUILD
KING OF HAVING FUN
1. Every Noise Is You
2. Do Something Productive
3. Perceived
4. Bird Woman
5. Home Depot
6. It’s Not Easy (Falling In Love)
7. Cone Off
8. Feed the Boys
9. In My Gut
10. Chill
11. Downpour
12. Armor
13. King of Having Fun
14. Thank You, Cook
TOUR DATES
July 25—Newport, RI—Newport Folk Festival
July 31—Shakopee, MN—Mystic Lake Amphitheater*
August 2—Riverside, MO—Morton Amphitheater*
August 4—Atlanta, GA—State Farm Arena*
August 6—Hollywood, FL—Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino*
August 7—Tampa, FL—Benchmark International Arena*
August 9—Charlotte, NC—Spectrum Center*
August 11—Madison Square Garden—New York, NY*
August 12—Madison Square Garden—New York, NY*
August 13—Madison Square Garden—New York, NY*
August 15—Gilford, NH—Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion*
October 4—Washington, DC—9:30 Club†
October 5—Pittsburgh, PA—Mr. Small's Theater†
October 6—Philadelphia, PA—Theatre of the Living Arts†
October 9—New York, NY—Webster Hall†
October 10—Cambridge, MA—Royale†
October 12—Toronto, ON—The Concert Hall†
October 13—Detroit, MI—St. Andrews‡
October 16—Chicago, IL—Metro‡
October 17—Madison, WI—Majestic Theatre‡
October 18—Minneapolis, MN—First Avenue‡
October 21—Oklahoma City, OK—Tower Theater‡
October 23—Denver, CO—Gothic‡
October 24—Salt Lake City, UT—Soundwell‡
October 26—Vancouver, BC—Vogue§
October 28—Seattle, WA—The Showbox§
October 29—Portland, OR—Roseland Theatre§
October 31—San Francisco, CA—The Regency Ballroom**
November 2—San Diego, CA—The Observatory**
November 5—Los Angeles, CA—The Bellwether**
November 6—Phoenix, AZ—The Van Buren**
November 9—Dallas, TX—Studio at the Bomb Factory**
November 10—Austin, TX—Emo’s**
November 12—Memphis, TN—Satellite Music Hall††
November 13—Louisville, KY—Mercury Ballroom††
November 16—Columbus, OH—Newport Music Hall††
November 17—Indianapolis, IN—Deluxe††
November 20—Nashville, TN—Brooklyn Bowl††
*supporting Mumford & Sons
† with Ken Yates
‡ with Bella White
§ with Merle Law
** with The Scratch
†† with Eden Joel