Album Review: Dayglow - 'People In Motion'
One-man musical extravaganza Sloan Struble, more often known as Dayglow, is bringing us into autumn with his stunning new album ‘People in Motion’.
As he continues to grow as an artist and musician, Dayglow is remaining true to his roots with his latest release which, like all of those which have come before, has been created by just him. In the past he has explained how exciting it is that he does all of the instrumentals and mixings himself and that each album has been a learning curve in every capacity. In his own words, he says
‘every album I make is going to be better than the last from a sonic standpoint because I’m literally learning how to do it …I’ve understood a little bit more about myself and how I would naturally perform and make music.’
The themes of growth, learning and embarking on new adventures resonate throughout the new album. Struble has spent the last few years on a journey of self-exploration; time spent away from social media and the daily madness of the music industry has given him insight into not only the type of music he wants to create, but has helped him to understand what he makes it for. He has explained that this album seeks out to explore the idea of ‘people in motion’, looking at it both as a metaphor for dance and movement to music but also more importantly a way through which you can see the ever changing nature of our fast-paced society. With tours set to kick off after the album release, Dayglow themselves are embodying the fluidity and movement this album unpacks and have truly hit the ground running with this release.
The album kicks off with ‘Second Nature’, a track we have grown already to love after it was released as a single in the summer. The funky bassline from the offset is an invitation to dance, setting the tone of joy in movement which will continue throughout. Ethereal synths lead into the vocals which couldn’t start more aptly than with
‘Dancing, feeling like myself and now I’m dancing’
Dayglow has a lovely warmth and chirpiness to his tone here which gives the verse a very youthful and carefree feeling to it. The lyrics reflect this unabashed joy and Struble talks about he feels an effortlessness in the moment. The chorus highlights this natural and almost ‘organic’ sensation that he feels through music as he sings
‘this isn’t second nature love, it’s the first thing that comes to my being’
The idea of dancing being more than second nature alludes to the ease from which the movements come to you. Second-nature would suggest that in the past, this was something you were taught and have learned to master. Going beyond that implies that dance is just as innate as breathing, something which comes naturally. If something isn’t second nature, then the only thing it can be is nature itself and this is exactly what Dayglow is getting at with this song.
Radio comes next and it continues the feel good energy. This track has more instrumentals from the start, giving it what can only be described as a communal sound-it tricks you into thinking that there’s a group of people jamming together. Dayglow here are trying to tap into the idea that music is something that is best when shared; while he might have created it by himself, he wants us to listen, sing along, and dance to it together. This ties in brilliantly with the name of the track, Radio, something that always has united both listeners and artists through the ‘experience of music’. In this track, Dayglow are advocating for music as just music. While they enjoy a colourful music video and elaborate set design, here they are saying that the best music is the kind where the melody can speak for itself:
‘Don’t you understand? On the radio you just listen to music. You don’t need some video, just got to get yourself home.’
It is impossible to listen to this song without considering the references it is making. Lyrical and sonic allusions to the Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ and Queen’s iconic hit ‘Radio Ga Ga’ immediately jump to mind as they present a similar ideology: music can and at times perhaps should just be music. In an era where so much of the media we consume is visual, harking back to the ‘good old days’ of the music industry is a bold claim but it makes sense that it is coming from Dayglow. They started producing music from their bedroom and didn’t have the means to create lavish sets nor elaborate and cinematic music videos. For them, it has always been just about the music.
‘Then it All Goes Away’ was the first track to be released as a single for the album. It is a fascinating song in that sonically, it comes across as very upbeat and summery but the lyrics are a different story. Whether they are framed a plea or a confrontation is not entirely clear, but what can be certain is that they are full of emotion.
‘Oh come on now, its not always the same. You can’t tell me you don’t notice probably the same things. Cause I know the things you’ve been talking about and sometimes I can’t ever believe what you say.’
It is a noticeable shift in tone compared to the previous two tracks. Rhythmically and sonically, things haven’t changed too much and if you weren’t paying attention to the lyrics you would be forgiven for thinking this is another upbeat, happy-go-lucky song. When talking about the composition of the album, Struble explained that he wanted to show emotional depth with ‘People in Motion’ and demonstrate how music can be just as much about overcoming struggle as it can be about love and joy. ‘Deep End’ follows on nicely as it too has an emotional depth and complexity to it which gives the album a new texture and feel. We are beginning to understand that to Dayglow, the metaphor of ‘People in Motion’ can also reference the way we move through more sombre moments. There is a stunning touch right at the beginning of the song where an inhale can be heard before the vocals come in. Whether this is a last breath before diving head first into the deep end, is up for stylistic interpretation but it does not go unnoticed. The drum line comes in a bit slower compared to the other tracks, giving the opening of the song a very echoey and deliberately empty feeling. Just as Dayglow talks about ‘letting in’ all which has inhibited him before and letting his walls down, the bassline and instrumentals come crashing into the chorus and we are met again by the familiar upbeat synth sound to which we have gotten used.
One of the later songs on the album, ‘Like She Does’ is a personal favourite. The opening is sparkly and vast – hearing it live in a big venue would feel cinematic. One of the only tracks on the album which is explicitly about a relationship, this song taps into the idea of being ‘the one’ or ‘that girl’ to someone.
‘It’s like we know something, just us two, no one else can seem to get … nobody comes close to getting me like she does, no I don’t mind having my only one cause nobody comes close to getting me like she does’
The ‘She’ in this story is deliberately ambiguous and hazy. There is something very alluring and seductive about the mystery of who this girl is but there is some reassurance in the idea that she could be anyone. While the messages of the track could be read as leaning into the ‘manic pixie dream girl’ trope, it fits well within the context of the album as it is where Dayglow talks about he has a need to write music for someone or something. He articulates
‘What use is a song when I write it for no one and I never knew it was here’
Up till this point, a lot of Dayglow’s meaning behind his music has been introspective; he has talked about how movement and dance feel like second nature to him, how he believes that music should speak for itself and how he has found catharsis in navigating conflict through song. Having previously said that he doesn’t tend to write with other people in mind, this album presented the opportunity where Struble ‘directly wrote songs that were about what’s happened in my life’. In this track, he explains that music is now merely self-serving and that inspiration to create can come from everywhere. He writes music for people, whether that be for himself or others.
To close the album, we have ‘Talking to Light’. It finishes things on a high and bookends things quite nicely. It shares the same key and first few notes from ‘Second Nature’, illustrating that we have come full circle. Talking to light as a concept is an interesting thing to think about and offers many interpretations; talking to the ‘light’ in your life, speaking your truth and talking ‘into the light’, or perhaps simply talking with a lightness and freedom about life. In a lot of ways, all of these meanings can be applied to the song. The song itself has a light and fluffy quality to it and while Dayglow talks about not really understanding everything, there is a sense of acceptance and ease that is expressed in the lyrics:
‘I never know what they’re talking about. You know me like a colour and you take me into the light. I’d rather know how than how to know why and you know me, like a mother … I keep trippin’ on up, you make one from the both of us but somehow you don’t try, it’s like talking to light’
Perhaps what Dayglow is getting at with this track is that you don’t have to truly understand or ‘get’ something to enjoy it. Often when talking about art, people will say you have to ‘see’ what is happening and make sense of it in order to be able to take it in and properly enjoy it. In a similar vein to what he was talking about in ‘Radio’ and ‘Second Nature’, Struble articulates that music can just be about existing in the moment. Consider the cover art for the album; a brightly coloured block in the middle of the desert. You could spend hours trying to find meaning and reason in why it is there and what it signifies, or you could just simply appreciate it as it is. Dayglow is trying to facilitate a similar conversation here; you can’t talk to light expecting a response nor can you ever unearth the true meanings behind art. Does that make the light any less bright? Of course not.
The album is a teaching in the meanings of music. Dayglow expressed while composing this album that he wanted to make music because he love making it. The overall takeaway of People in Motion is about the need to find something you care about, in Struble’s case music, and share all aspects of it with the world. Sharing it with the world is exactly what he intends to do as he embarks on his next lengthy tour. It is exciting to think about how these songs will be brought to life onstage and where he can move forwards here with his art. What is certain is that as the world is opening up again, Dayglow’s music will follow suit.
Words by Kirsty-Ann Thomson
