An artist's first full-length album can say a lot about his career's direction, and in Austin Mahone's case, the singer says he's headed for something next-level.

Mahone, whose new single "Dirty Work" was released to iTunes last week, told Billboard he's getting dangerously close to his first LP's release, and he couldn't be more thrilled to share the project.

"I'm not sure if the album is definitely coming out in the fall, but it will be out before the end of the year," he said. "After the album drops, I'll definitely be putting a tour together. I'm excited to get back on the road."

Mahone said the production of his first two EPs involved a lot of trial and error, but now, having worked with Jason Evigan, Rock City and the Monsters and the Strangerz, he feels like he's getting closer to nailing down a signature sound.

"It was definitely a little bit difficult to get to this point, just because I wanted to find my sound and grow as an artist," he said. "I basically was just writing with a bunch of different producers and writers, just trying to find a bunch of songs that will take me to that next level. It was a process, but we've got most of the album done right now."

Pumped for some new Austin? Tell us if the wait for the new material is killing you!

See these celebs chowing down:

More From PopCrush