It’s not easy establishing your own voice in the industry when your father is a pop music legend.

But singer-songwriter James McCartney is making the case for himself and his music as he tours the U.S. on what he’s billed as his Marshmallow Maiden Tour.

The son of former Beatle Sir Paul and his late wife, Linda McCartney, James McCartney, 39, grew up immersed in his father’s music and the industry in general. As a toddler, he toured with his parents when they were part of the band Wings, then joined them on the road again, along with his sisters, Mary and Stella, when he was 12.

And over the years, McCartney, Paul’s youngest child and his only son, learned to play several instruments and got a close-up view of the rock music world.

McCartney will headline at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on Friday, performing songs from his latest album, 2016’s “The Blackberry Train.” Alternating between acoustic and electric guitars and keyboard, he’ll be accompanied by his friend Stephen Howard on precision bass and backup guitar.

The album is compiled of 11 diverse but cohesive tracks, with elements of alt-rock, indie folk and a bit of psychdelia; what links them all is the focus on melody. McCartney played most of the instruments himself, though he was joined by Dhani Harrison, George Harrison’s son, on guitar and vocals on the jangly rocker “Too Hard.”

“The Blackberry Train” was produced by Steven ‘Steve’ Albini, an American singer-songwriter, music producer and audio engineer who’s worked with numerous artists including Nirvana and The Pixies.

After releasing his full-length debut album, “Me,” in 2013, McCartney hopes people will feel clarity and euphoria while listening to “Blackberry Train.” The singer-songwriter wants individuals to take away from the album “how they actually in all honesty want to feel,” he said in an email interview with the Gazette.

McCartney explains that there’s no set process to his songwriting. “On this record, I kind of put parts of songs together to complete them,” he said. “Some songs I wrote more conventionally, melody and lyrics at the same time.” With other songs, McCartney explained, either the melody or lyrics tended to come before the other.

Of particular note on his album is the melancholy but mellifluous track “Waterfall.” While the title references the McCartney family’s Waterfall Estate in Peasmarch, East Sussex, the song looks at the hardships McCartney faced in the past with drug use, as well as his mother’s fight with breast cancer and her untimely death.

“‘Waterfall’ was me trying to summarize a hedonistic time after my mum died,” he said. Linda McCartney, Paul’s first wife, died in 1998 when her son was 20.

In an interview with Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper in 2013, McCartney recalled how devastated he was by his mother’s death, leading to his struggles and losing out on most of his twenties.

“That whole period was rough. I got more and more into drugs. I ended up going to rehab in Arizona after I had a bit of an episode,” McCartney told the newspaper. “I didn’t really think I needed it as I wasn’t into hard drugs, so I left after a week.”

Eventually returning to the family’s Waterfall Estate, he found the property to be a source of creativity, one he’s tapped for much of the material on his new album.

From the album’s downtempo melodic sound, to its rock undertones, “The Blackberry Train” reveals McCartney’s reflections on his past life and the people lost — but not forgotten — along the way.

“Alice,” the eighth track on disc, was loosely inspired by the English rock band Babyshambles. The bass line has references to the Beatles’ hit “Day Tripper,” though “Alice” is in a minor key. With a more upbeat tempo than “Waterfall,” “Alice” is funky and original.

The chorus references “Alice in Wonderland,” the 19th-century fairy tale by Lewis Carroll. Lyrics like “strolling down rabbitholes” and “drink me, eat me” allude to the psychedelic and sublime world created by Carroll.

Seeing a change in his new album from his previous work, McCartney says his major musical influences are Nirvana, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, The Cure and The Beatles. And though there is a major draw to McCartney’s music due to his father’s legacy, the younger McCartney says there are both advantages and disadvantages to living in the shadow of a former Beatle.

“Maybe people have preconceptions of me,” said McCartney. “On the other hand, it’s very inspirational.”

James McCartney plays at the Iron Horse Friday 7 p.m. Annie & Jason (from local pop rockers Beach Honey) open the show. For more information, contact Iron Horse Entertainment Group’s Box Office at 586-8696, Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm, or visit iheg.com. Tickets are available in advance for $15 plus service fees or at the door for $20 per person.

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