If most party records are keg stands and neon regrets, 13 Green Potatoes is the crumpled flyer you find weeks later—smeared in glitter and mystery meat. It’s the new full-length from MENDOZA, the latest electro-pop shape-shift from Tony Mendoza, a Chicago comedian turned LA outsider-pop savant. Once a member of scrappy comedy indie rockers Los Shut Up and the sharper-edged The French Goodbye, Mendoza now dials into a new wavelength—glitchy, playful, and just left of reality.
Lead single “DLR PL8S” is a getaway anthem for weirdos, grifters, and anyone who ever dreamed of driving a drum machine through the desert. Part Bonnie & Clyde, part synth-jacked fever dream, the track runs on lust, danger, and pure mischief. The video, directed by Logan Hall and shot in a now-defunct Altadena trailer yard and the haunting sprawl of the Salton Sea, features Mendoza and Linda Orr (Dumb John Improv) speeding through the fringes of California absurdity.
The full album, 13 Green Potatoes, crams 13 tracks into just under 25 minutes—each one a compact, chaotic detour through strange Americana. There are songs about code red cruise ships, apocalyptic pizza deliveries, and one titled “GoFundYourself.” It’s like Devo got lost in a Showbiz Pizza and decided to record their panic. Every note was played by Mendoza himself using off-the-shelf tech, then polished by Matt Engstrom (Reelsounds Chicago).
This is party music for the uninvited. A soundtrack for those who flinch at group texts and make exits through the kitchen. For fans of sketch comedy, and dancing in cursed shoes, MENDOZA’s 13 Green Potatoes might just be your new favorite accident. The album is coming later this Summer but for now enjoy the video for “DLR PL8S” with the single dropping on steaming services June 27th via Mint 400 Records.