Mt. Joy Release Their Most Personal Song Yet: 'Highway Queen'

Ahead of an epic touring season, Mt. Joy shares their most personal song to date,  “Highway Queen”, self-funded and independently released via the band's own Bloom Field Records in collaboration with Neon Gold Records (Matt Maeson, HAIM, Charli XCX, et. al). Deeply personal lyrics laid bare with emotional depth and honesty, the song came to frontman Matt Quinn while touring the country in 2023.

The band were able to introduce it live as the song evolved and found an instant connection with audiences around the world, and finally the fan favorite finds its official release across all platforms today.

Matt Quinn elaborates on “Highway Queen”: “The song is about being in love with someone you see a bit of yourself in. My wife is from Brazil but left home when she was 15 to chase a dream and had success that has kept her away from home and moved her all over the world ever since. Living away from home corrals your demons in a specific way, you feel like the only way to out run them is to keep moving, and it makes being home torturous. It's something I personally struggle with so I know it when I see it in someone else, especially someone I love. Now we share a home together and I hope this song can represent a reminder that we have each other to work through it all and hopefully the rest of our lives to figure it out at whatever pace we need.”

Mt. Joy will continue bringing their energetic live shows through the US, Canada and Europe this year. In Boston, they'll team up with Noah Kahan for two shows at Fenway Park in July.  They've got an iconic Madison Square Garden headline date in the books for September 28th,  another sold out double date at Red Rocks on August 8th and 9th, and a debut at the prestigious Hollywood Bowl on August 25th. The band's musical prowess, charisma and stage presence contribute to their growing popularity and dedicated fanbase.

About the visuals for “Highway Queen”: “For the imagery around the song, I thought it would be cool to have my wife look through her camera roll and her film pictures that she has been taking for the last few years. The cover is actually a picture she took out the window of her family car on the drive that she takes to leave her home in rural Brazil and make the 8 hour drive to the nearest airport. Everyone knows the imagery that takes them away from home to wherever they've landed. Ingrid has made a habit of taking a cheap film camera with her everywhere we go. She does a great job of documenting our journey all over the world. So, it feels extra special to have one of those pictures attached to a song that feels like it could be playing when that picture was taken.”

The single is also the first song to secure 100% royalty registration via Notes.fm, a music finance platform empowering artists to cut through the complexities of the royalty system and ensure they are capturing all value created by their work. Mt. Joy will be one of the founding artists on the platform (which launches publicly later this year), creating educational content to help emerging artists better understand the intricate complexities of royalties in the modern music business.

About Mt. Joy:

The Philadelphia and Los Angeles based band — Matt Quinn [vocals, guitar], Sam Cooper [guitar], Sotiris Eliopoulos [drums], Jackie Miclau [keys, piano], and Michael Byrnes [bass]— take their name from the quiet and rural National Park in Southwest Pennsylvania, about four hours from their Philadelphia base.

Forming in 2016,they made their mark two years later when their self-titled Mt. Joy (2018) debut album spun off platinum single "Silver Lining," an uplifting power ballad that went to #1 at AAA radio (Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay) and has eclipsed over 240 million streams across platforms. Their second album, Rearrange Us (2020) drew widespread critical raves, with title track gaining 92 million Spotify streams since the release. Their third LP, Orange Blood (2022), came out of the pandemic and further cemented them with another #1, Lemon Tree, at AAA and a 70 date headline tour that sold over 180K tickets. 

Over the past five years, Mt. Joy has amassed over half a billion streams and earned acclaim from NPR, Billboard, Rolling Stone, The Line of Best Fit, and more. Throughout their career, the band has performed at a variety of festivals such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo. Additionally, the band has performed on Stephen Colbert, CBS Morning, Samantha Bee, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Kimmel, and Conan.

Upcoming plans for 2024 include new music, live show, and world tour including shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City, The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Roundhouse in London, and more.

Mt. Joy on tour:

https://www.mtjoyband.com/tour
4.06 - Jackson, WY @ Rendezvous Music Festival
4.20 - Clemson, SC @ Clemson Music Festival 
5.03 - Memphis, TN @ Riverbeat Music Festival 
5.05 - Charlotte, NC @ Lovin' Life Festival
5.12 - San Diego, CA @ Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival
5.31 - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Coliseum (w/ Zach Bryan)

6.04 - Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
6.05 - Brussels, BE @ Le Botanique Orangerie
6.06 - Paris, FR @ Trabendo
6.08 - Brighton, UK @ CHALK
6.09 - Bristol, UK @ SWX
6.10 - Manchester, UK @ 02 Ritz
6.12 - Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
6.13 - Glasgow, UK @ The Garage
6.15 - London, UK @ Roundhouse

7.04 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest - BMO Pavilion
7.05 - Marshfield, MA @ Levitate Music and Arts Festival
7.06 - Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Blues Fest
7.08 - Quebec City, QC @ Festival D'ete
7.09 - Montreal, QC @ MTelus
7.10 - Toronto, ON @ Budstage
7.12 - Winnipeg, MB @ Winnipeg Folk Fest
7.14 - Whitefish, MT @ Under the Big Sky Festival
7.18 - Boston, MA @ Fenway Park (w/ Noah Kahan)
7.19 - Boston, MA @ Fenway Park (w/ Noah Kahan)
7.20 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion

8.04 - Saint Charles, IA @ Hinterland Music Festival
8.06 - Minneapolis, MN @ Surly Brewing Festival Field
8.08 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8.09 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
8.10 - Dillon, CO @ Dillon Amphitheatre
8.13 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Granary Live
8.15 - Boise, ID @ Outlaw Field @ Idaho Botanical Gardens
8.16 - Portland, OR @ Pioneer Courthouse Square
8.17 - Vancouver, BC @ Doug Mitchell Thunderbird
8.19 - Palmer, AK @ Alaska State Fair
8.21 - Carnation, WA @ Remlinger Farms
8.23 - Bend, OR @ Hayden Holmes
8.25 - Los Angeles, CA @ KCRW Music Series Hollywood Bowl

9.13 - Austin, TX @ Moody Center
9.15 - Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
9.17 - Charleston, SC @ Firefly Distillery
9.18 - Cary, NC @ Koka Booth
9.20 - Philadelphia, PA @ TD Pavilion at The Mann
9.21 - Richmond, VA @ Iron Blossom
9.22 - Louisville, KY @ Bourbon & Beyond
9.24 - Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
9.26 - Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
9.28 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
9.29 - Ocean City, MD @ Ocean' Calling

10.01 - Rochester, NY @ Gordon Field House, Rochester Institute of Technology
10.03 - Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed (Outdoors)
10.04 - Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed (Outdoors)
10.05 - Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed (Outdoors)

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