Drawing us in with an astral frequency and ethereal guitar riffs, Dylan Galvin opens How to Write a Pop Song with a pristine vocal, and philosophical prose as he shares his perspective on the music industry and the song writing process.
We immediately connect with the metaphorical and referential nature of the song, designed as an intellectual commentary on the creative process of designing a pop song with the hook, “If you think too hard, you will get it wrong; you’ve got to stay nice and stupid if you want to write a pop song.”
The guitar performances from the multi-instrumentalist are transcendental, and we love the dynamic journey that Dylan Galvin takes us on, proving himself as free-thinker, delivering a concept that really hasn’t hit the mainstream since the opening lyrics of Selena Gomez‘s Love You Like A Love Song.
There is theatrical nuance to the composition, with it’s anthemic and expansive nature, and we could even see it being featured in the new TV re-imagination of High School Musical.
Speaking on the release, Dylan confesses, “This is literally an anthem for those who want the good parts of nostalgic pop music back.” He cites “1980s George Michaels meets John Mayer” as sonic inspirations for the composition, but there is no doubt that the rising star is creating a sound of his own.
We appreciate the relatable and quick-witted nature of the message, a commentary on “the love-hate relationship many have with pop music, offering satirical instructions, [taking] a playful jab at the mainstream music industry’s recent tendency to produce music that’s clearly created for profit.”
How to Write a Pop Song comes with a music video (premiere below) on February 2nd, which is set to be “equal parts Matilda and The Muppets” featuring a blue cat named Munch! In the meantime, we have added How to Write a Pop Song to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream Dylan’s wider discography, including In the Blood.