Dayglow: Harmony House

If you’re anything like me, you like upbeat music for the summer. Every year, different albums will remind me of different times in my life and what I was up to. Khalid’s American Teen will always bring me back to spring break 2017. Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. blasts when I think of hiking with my boyfriend the following summer. I even get flashbacks to AAU basketball trips when I hear any Duran Duran song- singing with my mom at the tops of our lungs.

This summer, Dayglow has already made its residency in my memories. Texas native Sloan Struble first released Fuzzybrain in 2019, which contained his first hit “Can I Call you Tonight?” When I first heard this track on Alt Nation, I thought “I have no idea who this guy is, but I like this one-hit-wonder.” If you’ve heard this song, you know it has a great beat and soft vocals. If you haven’t heard it, listen:

Can I Call You Tonight?

Being that I mistook him as a one-time star, I didn’t take the time to listen to anything else from the album. That one song was good enough for my 2019 playlist… and then continued into my 2020 playlist… and still blasts in my car to this day. Being the music junkie that I am, I’m disappointed in myself for not listening to any other tracks until he released his new album.

His 2021 album, Harmony House, hits all the marks for me. He’s got funky, slow, and indie sounds that make each song completely different. Nothing worse than an album with 12 songs that all sound the exact same.

My instant favorite track, "Moving Out," still holds strong as my favorite Dayglow song. It reminds me of a bouncing ball that I would play with as a kid with its jovial beat. I also love how he goes from singing to an almost conversational tone. He does it so naturally and it makes the song so unique. Aside from the audio, these lyrics are super relatable.

“Cause man, it gets strange/ When a friend is a stranger/ But you’re growing to be something you can’t see right now.”

I’m at a point in my life where things are confusing. I’m growing out of who I used to be, and am starting to understand who I really am and who I want to surround myself with. Amongst my constant doubt, Dayglow really hit home for me with this track and makes me feel fuzzy inside!

"Close to You," the single he released before the album, is just amazing. Before he even starts singing, I’m pumping my fist and jumping around like a crazy person. It’s also a great song to run or bike to! He goes from a high to low pitch when he transitions to “I'm only overthinking when I’m close to you” and then gets lower with “oh yeah,” and it literally gives me goosebumps when I listen (I know I’m a nerd). This song is great for the boat rides, the car rides, or if you’re like me, the golf cart.

One of his slower songs from this album, "Whoa Man," has great guitar riffs in the track. His voice is soft and calming overtop the long chords. Throughout the song, you can feel his tension and emotion rising about friends that are stuck in the past, or stuck in their old ways. By the end of the song, he’s singing at the top of his lungs in rage, repeating the same words “You gotta leave some things behind.” I love a song with some good feeling behind it.

So, Dayglow will officially be my summer 2021 artist. Years from now, I’ll hear these songs and think of learning to golf, trips with my family and friends, and the comeback of concerts!!