Medium Build Shares Portraits of 'Marietta'

When you grow up in the South, it can be hard to see it as a magical place. But, when you venture out, whether by force or choice, you start to realize that its culture — the Taco Mac you go to after church, the Mexican restaurant where you buy margaritas the size of your head, or the cul de sac you used to dream on — holds a new kind of magic.

That's abundantly true for Nick Carpenter, AKA Medium Build, whose EP Marietta pays homage to the Atlanta suburb by the same name. The record's artwork was all shot in his hometown by Silken Weinberg (known for her artistic direction for Ethel Cain) and includes the haunts that inspired each track — from the abandoned Sears his father worked at after filing for bankruptcy to the Target he used to dream about living inside of when he was in fifth grade.

Each song on the EP covers his time there: his parents figuring out how to make ends meet, religion and the desire to belong, the palpable angst attached to coming of age.

Below, check out photos from Medium Build's Marietta (the record and the place) and captions he's shared with PAPER that capture his time there.

This is the shell of an old Sears that my dad worked at after he lost his business and filed bankruptcy. He rebuilt his whole life here at the Town Center Mall, selling VCRs and home entertainment systems.

Wings at my dad’s old neighborhood haunt, Taco Mac. This was where the chill families ate after church. I lost a baby tooth in the bathroom here after playing Galaga for an hour.

Taken on the street I grew up on, this picture felt like the first piece of the story we wanted to tell on Marietta. I remember playing kick the can on this corner and lighting tennis balls on fire. Mr. McGinnis still has a fine lawn.