Our Latest Obsession: dylAn
There is something surprisingly refreshing about this artist. Somehow, his rhymes about girls, friends, and his environment differ to those delivered from your average teenage boy. Although he's been on our radar for a while, dylAn solidified his spot as Our Latest Obsession through his latest release "Stephulka V3," which premiered on Pigeons and Planes last week. The track starts by giving us a guitar similar to elevator music you would hear on a Hawaiian vacation and the repetition of the lyrics "she's one of my favorite poets." The entire song is structured as a phone call between himself and producer Daniel D'artiste. They talk about a few girls that dylAn has been dealing with, and his current status which each of the girls. This isn't anything new for him, but let's start from the beginning, shall we?
https://soundcloud.com/pigeonsandplanes/dylan-stephulka-v3
The first track he ever released on his Soundcloud was a short collaboration with fellow MSFTSRep member, Willow, titled "TOWER158 V2." Opening the song, his flow resembles a poem more than a rap, like something you would hear at a Brave New Voices showcase if you take away the production. Willow enters with her signature angelic croons, then dylAn really kicks it off with his lines. He paints an alluring vision of laying on the beach everyday with that one person that makes everything feel alright.
https://soundcloud.com/officialitndylan/tower158v2
Moon In My Room is a personal favorite, and another collaboration featuring both Daniel D'artiste and Willow. The song was released as part of the MSFTSrep collective's album This Is The Album. A standout on the album, this track touches on the powers we hold to mold our universe. He goes on to talk about our consciousness and what we can do to expand it. Of course, he also touches on the current state of his love life. He advises his girl to stay calm and let the universe take it's course; "So if we rise to a high state rapidly/Don't act frantically, love happens organically." In addition to a Sin City sample, it is clear why this was a hit from the album.
https://soundcloud.com/officialitndylan/moon-in-my-room-ft-willow-smith
A fun, lighthearted song titled "Where's Rachel?" is also one of my favorites from dylAn. The lyrics are not as thought provoking as his other songs, but are just as enjoyable. He asks a question that I'm sure many of us have either heard or asked way too often when courting a new beau; "Do you wanna smoke?" He trades in his bars for a soothing melody that pairs perfectly with a smooth R&B beat straight sounding like it's out of the early 2000's.
https://soundcloud.com/officialitndylan/wheres-rachel
To put it simply: don't sleep on this kid. Everything he releases is a step up from the previous and, at this rate, it is looking like his debut album A might break him out just enough for a US tour. I won't be surprised if he ends up on a few major festival line-ups for next year. Keep an eye out and an ear open for dylAn, this is just the beginning.
Follow dylAn on Soundcloud and Twitter.