Medium Build has released a heartfelt new single, ‘Drug Dealer’, accompanied by an official lyric video. The track is the latest to follow his takeaways EP, and arrives after a busy run of shows and festival slots from Australia to Coachella.
In typically candid fashion, Medium Build – real name Nick Carpenter – describes the track as a meditation on loneliness and the desire for connection in unexpected places. “I always find myself falling for the strangers in my world,” he says, referencing “the helpful flight attendant or the grouchy barista” as people who briefly light up the emotional landscape of everyday life. “As I aged out of youthful social circles, the loneliness in my life became more obvious… But really, we all know ain’t nobody gonna fill that void but ourselves.”
‘Drug Dealer’ also reflects on Carpenter’s own evolving relationship with sexuality and identity. “You are breathing and shitting and crying like all of us are until you’re not,” he says. “Have sex with your drug dealer, or don’t. Have kids or don’t. We’re all in this together.”
Raised in Anchorage, Alaska, and now based in Nashville, Carpenter has built a loyal following through his emotionally exposed songwriting and genre-fluid sound, drawing on everything from country to indie rock to ’80s synth pop. In recent months, he’s collaborated with Julien Baker on the single ‘Yoke’, supported Role Model on tour, played Coachella, and co-headlined with Petey USA.
He’s also been tapped to support Tyler Childers on several summer dates, including a two-night stint at Forest Hills Stadium in New York City, as well as a US tour with Rainbow Kitten Surprise, which kicks off at the end of July and includes a stop at Red Rocks.
Editors’ Picks
- Coachella 2025
- Drug Dealer
- Indie Rock
- Julien Baker
- Medium Build
- New music
- Nick Carpenter
- Rainbow Kitten Surprise
- Tyler Childers
