Texas-born R&B force Mandolin steps fully into the spotlight with her debut album Same Feeling, Different Font, arriving December 11, 2025 via AWAL, alongside focus track “Blue Lies.” Hailed as “a vocal powerhouse” by CLASH and praised for her “genuinely authentic R&B” by WONDERLAND, Mandolin’s first full-length statement doesn’t just introduce her world—it immerses you in it.
Exploring the outer edges of R&B, progressive soul, and alternative, Same Feeling, Different Font is an entirely self-produced journey through love, lust, longing, and emotional reckoning. Across its runtime, Mandolin’s power-packed vocals and warm, vintage-leaning production anchor a record that feels both intimate and expansive—an introspective map of heartbreak, isolation, and becoming. Each track refracts the loss and dissolution of love through a different sonic lens, tracing how memory reshapes itself over time.
The album opens with the stark interlude “broken,” a gripping showcase of Mandolin’s depth as a songwriter and commanding presence in modern R&B. Questioning fragile affirmations and craving something real, she chants “say that shit again so I can be sure that you love me,” setting the emotional stakes before affirming her suspicions on “Blue Lies.” Dream-like melodies and live instrumentation give the focus track a haunting immediacy—an early peak that unlocks a run of standout moments.
From there, the record unfolds with striking range: the indie-leaning rush of “HEAD! (Want You Now),” the hazy slow-burn of “Party Girl,” and the soft, simmering tension of “I like it when you beg.” Guitarist Christian Magden weaves smoky, textured melodic work throughout, adding depth and grit to Mandolin’s already starry arrangements.
Midway, Mandolin drifts through stripped-back freestyles like “drrunk/for the girls” and “cigarettes but I don’t smoke,” where her lyrical focus sharpens and the vulnerability feels unguarded. The closing stretch—“Self Doubt” and “Closing Time”—brings the album to a place of growth and self-realisation. On the final track, a hypnotic melody circles the line “tell you that it’s okay,” its bittersweet repetition transforming heartbreak into clarity, strength, and resolve.
Mandolin’s raw, hazy artistry is deeply shaped by her sonic lineage. Drawing early inspiration from American legends Bill Withers, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Etta James, then crossing the Atlantic to channel the soul-baring spirit of Amy Winehouse, she fuses classic influences into a sound that feels distinctly her own—sun-kissed vocals, warm retro textures, and a striking sense of self-reliance.
Since debuting with “Alone” in 2022, Mandolin has quietly built a potent catalog, with tracks like “Burning,” “Easier,” “Lie To You,” and “Mad” earning acclaim from WONDERLAND, CLASH, COLORS, ONES TO WATCH, and beyond. Performances and co-signs alongside fellow Texas native BLK ODYSSY have only amplified her momentum, marking her as an artist moving with intention and integrity.
With Same Feeling, Different Font, Mandolin arrives fully formed—an artist with masterful command of songwriting, production, and emotional truth. This is the sound of a young superstar in the making, reshaping vulnerability into power and announcing herself as one of the most exciting new voices breaking into wider consciousness.
