Written by AZRIL
What does L.A., Charlie Puth, The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue, and Humanitarianism all have in common? After one introspective listen to Dylan Dunlap’s newly released Indie-Pop single, “Face Value”, you’ll be beyond knee deep in better knowing the answer to that question. Dylan is one of the latest internationally known faces to ever drape tThe Voice stage. His new single, “Face Value” rewards both longstanding and newer fans while refreshingly & eclectically trademarking the Indie-Pop sound.
Dylan Dunlap didn’t sojourn the typical singer/songwriter route, despite growing up in Los Angeles where the lucky few are often signing major label record deals. He took his talents straight to the masses by way of performing live street shows while a student at Berklee College of Music. He’s got an EP and several singles that can be streamed on Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and iHeart Radio. There’s without a doubt expansion amid Dylan’s music expression, but even more so in the genres he sits in with his music. The art reach of “Face Value” is at times independent of any singular sound structure but similar to something along the lines of Charlie Puth, and a newer Shawn Mendes style of sound. It’s truly nothing short of amazing to try and even pin down one type of sound for Dylan.
“Face Value” forefronts furrowing frustrations from the progression of what seems to be the formative flow and influx of a relationship. “Face Value”‘s sorrowful love-sage begins begetting a request for forgiveness as Dunlap sings, “Forgive me, I must be out of rope. We built a life, in the blink of an eye. Now it’s torn apart, and my hands are tied,” This is some rather dark imager that Dylan’s lyrics are portraying. If this is how the song begins, then you can imaginatively feel and foresee the crash between Dylan and this new love.
“Part of me is terrified of being so open with my music, but the other part is extremely proud that I choose to take risks in hopes to bring us all together a little bit more,” Dylan comments. “‘Face Value’ talks about the walls that we build up in relationships to prevent the other party from seeing the real us.”
The depth of the “Face Value”‘s writing and production showcase an even deeper side of who Dylan Dunlap truly is as an artist and human being. The pain Dunlap puts on portrait in “Face Value” seemingly ties into the dark sides of relationships that likely surface for those who are singed by the hardships of mental illness. Listeners should know that Dunlap often dedicates his namesake, proceeds, and time toward bringing awareness to the longstanding matter of mental illness. It’s not always accepted when artists risk the escalation of success while striving to promote social awareness in any aspect, but Dylan Dunlap doesn’t seem to be creatively wavered by such concerns.
“I decided that instead of sharing promo links leading up to the release, I’d share organic stories. My team and I gathered a group of fans/friends at YouTube Space LA back in December to have portraits done for our campaign: #MyFaceValue,” says Dylan. “Each person went online and shared a personal struggle on social media that they normally wouldn’t have in hopes to raise awareness about transparency. To me, that was such an accurate way to promote the meaning behind this one. ‘Face Value’ is finally out in the world and I couldn’t be happier.”
He’s soundly, or should I say, “Indie-Popular,” as he makes waves musically and socially. It’s really cool to see an artist embrace humanitarian roles while also honing in on their creative ones. If any of the aforementioned names and titles fit your creative fancy, then take time to fixate your ears on Dylan Dunlap’s “Face Value” as well as the rest of his dynamic sound designed catalogue.
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