​Dan Pallotta Explores Memory, Work, and Human Resilience on New Album "Working Man’s Son"

American folk artist Dan Pallotta returns with Working Man’s Son, a deeply introspective new album spanning themes of love and loss, childhood experiences that shape us, the dignity of work, and the inner voices that tell us we’re never enough. Anchored by the nostalgic lead single, “24 Kenmore Road,” the record traces the intimate stories of everyday people, reminding listeners of the beauty and heartbreak inherent in ordinary life.

“Working Man’s Son is a collection of songs I’ve recorded over the last 16 months,” Pallotta shares. “Each song is deeply introspective, some directly and some through the lens of characters. It’s about the heartbreaking beauty of the human condition – the inner battles we fight with ourselves that the world doesn’t know about, even though everyone else is struggling with a battle unknown to us.”

“A construction worker who never felt he was enough because he sacrificed career dreams for his family,” Pallotta continues. “The school bus driver who lost her husband just as they were about to retire. The trash man who sees robotic arms taking away his livelihood and is scared to death of that.”

“24 Kenmore Road” draws from Pallotta’s own childhood in Malden, Massachusetts and the two-family house his parents bought to raise four kids. “I wanted to capture a deep appreciation for the innocence and beauty of the neighborhood community that existed in 1960s America. Sometimes the literal is more poetic than any metaphor – everyone remembers the address of the house they grew up in.”

Recorded mostly in his personal studio, Pallotta captured guitar, vocals, harmonica, percussion, and synthesizers with minimal takes, preserving the intimacy and authenticity of the performances. “Pretty much everything is a first take, even if there are some warts. I wanted to keep it that way. It’s very hard not to get self-conscious on your second, third, fourth takes, and then you lose the intimacy.”