{"id":1176,"date":"2024-10-27T10:35:59","date_gmt":"2024-10-27T14:35:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/?p=1176"},"modified":"2024-10-27T10:39:03","modified_gmt":"2024-10-27T14:39:03","slug":"dayglow-okay-but-why-dayglow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/10\/27\/dayglow-okay-but-why-dayglow\/","title":{"rendered":"Dayglow: Okay, But Why ‘Dayglow’?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Image credit Coffeecowsncats, via Wikimedia Commons<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every once in a while, I find myself curious about what motivates an artist to release a self-titled album. While it\u2019s common for musicians to self-title their debut, this isn\u2019t always true. For example, the Beatles chose to release a self-titled album \u2014 famously known as The White Album <\/em>\u2014 well into their career. Similarly, Weezer has released not one, not two, but four self-titled albums, leaving it up to the fans to give unofficial names for each one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An artist might use a self-titled album to signify a drastic change in their sound, or mark a new chapter in their musical journey. The ultimate meaning of the act lies with the artist. Recently, a new release in the indie scene has prompted me to reflect on this. A few weeks ago, Dayglow (aka Sloan Struble) introduced his fourth major album, aptly titled Dayglow<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sloan has plenty of experience with the DIY approach to songwriting. He began writing and producing music from his dorm at the University of Texas, releasing his debut studio album, Fuzzybrain, <\/em>in 2018. At just 19 years old, Sloan showcased his knack for crafting incredibly catchy music infused with 80s-inspired synths, all while putting his unique spin on the pop genre. To his listeners, he embodies bedroom pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, Sloan has released two additional studio albums. Harmony House, <\/em>while much more polished than Fuzzybrain, <\/em>did not stray far from his upbeat approach to indie music. Released in 2021, the album reflects themes of loneliness and isolation, a clear nod to its creation during the pandemic. He released his next studio album, People in Motion,<\/em> only a year later. <\/em>Each of these albums has its own distinct sound, capturing Sloan\u2019s mindset during different periods of his life. They are deeply personal, reflecting his journey to find meaning in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now in 2024, Sloan introduces us to a hitherto-unseen side of himself \u2014 one that is finally ready to fully unveil the world to Dayglow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the first few seconds of the opening track, \u201cMindless Creatures\u201d, <\/em>we can clearly see what this album represents. This marks a pivotal moment in his career, where he reflects on his journey from an artist with little direction to an indie sensation grappling with the deeper meaning of it all. This track also sets the tone for the album\u2019s unique sound, which sounds completely apart from anything we\u2019ve ever heard from Sloan before. You can tell that he\u2019s poured incredible amounts of passion into recording this LP.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could see myself<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like it was yesterday<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah, I was just eighteen, with a fuzzy brain<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What am I doing here?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

from \u2018Mindless Creatures\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/em>As listeners, we often overlook the humanity of an artist. What would it feel like to be in Sloan\u2019s shoes? Imagine the thoughts that would cross your mind daily after going from being a bedroom artist to selling out shows across the world, all while being surrounded by \u201cmindless creatures\u201d, as he puts it. He feels constant excitement and pressure, but also a growing distance as he navigates the complexities of fame. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second track on the LP, \u201cEvery Little Thing I Say I Do”, <\/em>the most traditionally \u201cDayglow\u201d song of the entire album, was released early by Sloan as a single to warmly introduce the audience to the nostalgic and energetic tone of the album \u2014 and it certainly did not disappoint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following track, \u201cCocoon\u201d, <\/em>continues the theme of self-reflection. From my own interpretation, Sloan delves into the disconnection he feels from the relationships in his life while navigating the chaos of his rising stardom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Cause time keeps moving on,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

it\u2019s moving on without you<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I stayed a little long,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

a little long in the cocoon<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who knew I could be so caught into it?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

from\u2018Cocoon\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the rest of the album, Sloan experiments with fresh styles of music that haven\u2019t been seen in any previous Dayglow albums, including several guitar solos, all while maintaining a sense of wonder and energy. The track, \u201cNothing Ever Does!!!\u201d, <\/em>a fast-paced expression of Sloan\u2019s frustrations with losing control of his life, shows off this frenetic tempo. Despite the intensity of the lyrics, you can clearly hear that he had a lot of fun recording this song. I like to imagine him trying not to laugh during the chorus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final track of the LP, <\/em>\u201cBroken Bone\u201d, feels like the closing scene of a movie, with an emotional farewell that encapsulates what Sloan ultimately takes away from his journey. He leaves us wondering: has he really broken out of his shell? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But oh, where did I go?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did I even let myself see the show?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Cause I wanna see, now<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And oh, it\u2019s hard to believe<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That all of this time I\u2019ve been waiting on me<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

from \u2018Broken Bone\u2019<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This feels less like an ending for Dayglow and more a beginning. We\u2019ve glimpsed different facets of Dayglow in each album, but it feels like they\u2019ve all built up to this moment. As far as self-titled albums go, I believe this one truly lives up to its name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Image credit Coffeecowsncats, via Wikimedia Commons Every once in a while, I find myself curious about what motivates an artist to release a self-titled album. While it\u2019s common for musicians to self-title their debut, this isn\u2019t always true. For example, the Beatles chose to release a self-titled album \u2014 famously known as The White Album […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":1177,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[27,19],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1176"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1176"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1180,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1176\/revisions\/1180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/arouseosu.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}