Today, acclaimed singer/songwriter, actor, and Tony Award-winning Broadway performer John Gallagher Jr. unveiled his latest single, “Mitsuko.” The track serves as the newest preview from his forthcoming EP Almost OK, set for release on May 29th via Grand Phony Music. A road-worn love letter imbued with Laurel Canyon influences, “Mitsuko” stands as one of the earliest compositions that ultimately inspired the creation of the full EP.
“’Mitsuko’ (pronounced meets-co) is about falling for someone from afar and racing impatiently to return home to share those feelings,” Gallagher explained. “It’s a love song from someone making up for lost time. While the lyrics carry a sweetness, there’s an undercurrent of urgency running beneath it all. I’m drawn to that duality—it allows a simple love song to rise and rock harder than one might expect at first.”
The new single follows the EP’s lead track, “Tough Spit,” a power-pop tragicomic anthem evoking the style of mid-80s Elvis Costello while offering a playfully paranoid commentary on America’s contemporary sociopolitical mediascape. “It began as a way to make myself laugh and manage the anxiety that comes from consuming even small amount of social media,” Gallagher noted. “The song emerged as an upbeat rock tune filled with winks and nods, which I thought would be perfect for opening shows. The audience, however, quickly embraced it as something more meaningful.”
A multifaceted artist celebrated for his performances in Broadway’s Spring Awakening, American Idiot, and most recently as the lead in the Avett Brothers’ musical Swept Away, Gallagher returns with Almost OK, his first collection of entirely new music since 2024’s deeply autobiographical jangle-folk breakup album Goodbye or Something. While that record served as an ambitious bridge across the turbulent waters of a fractured romantic life, Almost OK offers a more understated sequence of stepping stones toward stability and renewal, capturing Gallagher in the midst of rediscovery and personal growth.
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