Mav Karlo will release his debut album Strangers Like Us on October 16, via Royal Mountain Records (Metz, Alvvays, Homeshake). Along with the news Mav Karlo has shared a video for album-track “Dig A Hole”.

“Dig A Hole” sees Menno Versteeg waxing lyrical about gentrification and the ways in which seemingly innocuous meetings can have wider repercussions (“Oh Mr. Eddy, I might owe you my life / Thanks for not arresting my dad”). Directed by Lulu Wei, who also directed the acclaimed There’s No Place Like This Place, Anyplace documentary, the video is a charming ode to Honest Ed’s, with a headless Versteeg seen wandering around the construction site, while also deepfaked over some old interview footage, chatting with Honest Ed himself.

from Menno Versteeg

“When my dad was a teenager he lost his mom and went through a rough patch where it seemed like he was headed for jail, or worse,” says Versteeg. “During that time he got caught stealing at Honest Ed’s, but Honest Ed just gave him a stern talking-to and let him go. I’ve always wondered how his life might’ve taken a turn if it hadn’t worked out that way—if I’d even be here now if he’d ended up going to jail.”

A departure from his Hollerado and Anyway Gang days, Strangers Like Us sees Versteeg tackling mental health, how relationships ebb and flow over time, and the trials and tribulations of being a touring musician for the better part of two decades, while also trying to be a functioning human being. Produced by Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Amen Dunes, Beach House) at the legendary studios Sunset Sound and Sonic Ranch (and with guest vocals from Katy Goodman of Vivian Girls throughout), the record is an undeniably courageous and honest one, with Versteeg leaving no stone unturned in his quest for self-examination.

Pre-order Strangers Like Us by Mav Karlo here