The Rise of Dayglow

The Rise of Dayglow

Image from Dayglow Facebook

Meet 21-year-old Sloan Struble, or more commonly known as Dayglow. At the age of 10, Struble taught himself how to work GarageBand form his house in Austin Texas, and at age 19, he was writing, performing, recording, mixing, and producing his own album in his room. His music is interesting and new but still manages to feel familiar and comforting to listen to. Despite only having one release, Dayglow has garnered tons of attention and is just at the beginning of his career.

His first album was released in 2018, just before Struble left for college. Throughout his freshman year, the album quickly gained popularity, and suddenly, the 19-year-old had 9 million plays on Spotify, was touring with COIN, and playing SXSW. So what is it about his music that is so immediately alluring, especially within a genre that has so many working artists?

Bedroom pop is one of the most popular genres right now, and as a result, there are countless bands, singers, and producers that are putting out unlimited quantities of soft, stripped-down rock, none of which sounds particularly unique or groundbreaking. However, even through the haze of mediocre indie-pop, Dayglow’s voice shines through. His music sounds like a 19-year-old made it. Not because of the quality or novice-ness, but because it so well captures the world through the eyes of a 19-year-old: it balances the joy and carefree nature of being a teenager, but also the growing pains of knowing that you’re nearing the end of your childhood. 

Dayglow’s first and only release, Fuzzybrain, is fresh and interesting but feels distinctly reminiscent of bands like Vampire Weekend, Peach Pit, and other indie bands from the 2010s. Can I Call You Tonight, the hit of the album, features a really heavy echo effect on the vocals layered on top of an upbeat guitar track, creating a whimsical, feel-good track about young love.

Struble unabashedly embraces the early 2000s aesthetic that comes with the bedroom pop sound in a way that is fun, refreshing, and feel-good. Take one look at his website and understand at least a little the tone he is trying to capture, with its animated glitter background, gold stars, and floating words that say welcome to my site. This commitment to the care-free, happy style is consistent throughout his music and general persona in a way that feels earnest and genuine. 

Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube.

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