Frank McLallen

After two decades as one of Memphis’s most trusted sidemen, Frank McLallen is stepping into the spotlight with Extra Eyes, his first full-length solo album out September 5 on Red Curtain Records. On this album, McLallen emerges as a songwriter whose voice balances vulnerability with poise, somewhere between the stark intimacy of Will Oldham, the luminous pop sensibility of Big Star, the surrealist wit of Robyn Hitchcock, and the sleek clarity of Role Model.

Extra Eyes is a vibrant, eclectic collection that showcases McLallen’s expansive creativity and distinctive voice.

Sonically, it weaves together power pop, psychedelia, and surrealist rock, while lyrically, its through-line is honesty. “It’s allowed me to write and record ideas with no goal in mind other than to come from an honest place,” McLallen says. “That means melodically, lyrically, stylistically honest. It’s what came naturally.”

Across ten songs, McLallen delivers an urgent, introspective album that both honors and reinvents Memphis’ power pop legacy:

● “Manic” – a jangly rush of guitars and restless energy, the album’s first single and video.

● “Takin’ It Back to the Morning” – percolating and propulsive, a reflective anthem evoking bottomless coffee mugs,

 fresh starts, and the momentum of a new day.

● “Chimes” – a lush, three-minute sonic tapestry with a hint of western swagger.

● “And the Spring Won’t Come This Year” – elegiac and dreamy, a psychedelic meditation on the passage of time.

● “Imogene Large” & “Electric Inn” – surreal, character-driven vignettes steeped in Southern gothic textures, blending

 modern pop with echoes of late ’80s Southern college rock.

● “Memphis Ain’t Nothing, Just Like Nashville” – a sharp, wry anthem that uses McLallen’s signature wit to tie his

 story to the musical cities that shaped him.

● “I Try to Be Like the Rain” & “Oh Little Deary” – tender, stripped-down ballads that reveal his rootsy, melodic core.

● “The Hillside” – a closing track with a pop-tinged psychedelic touch, both reflective and hopeful.

McLallen plays guitars, bass, Mellotron, synthesizer, Farfisa, and harmonica on the album, joined by some of

Memphis’ finest players. Recorded across the city at Memphis Magnetic Recording Co., Bunker Audio, and Winchester’s home studio, and released on Memphis Magnetic’s Red Curtain Records, Extra Eyes is deeply rooted in community while marking McLallen’s boldest step forward. “I’ve still been collaborating with a host of longtime friends,” he says. “They are my extra eyes—watching over me for more than twenty years in some cases. The album is called Extra Eyes as a tribute to them and other important people in my life.”

The result is the sound of a sideman becoming a frontman: a songwriter stepping fully into his own as he takes

listeners on a journey through his imaginative musical landscape.