Written by Zack Glassell
Dayglow was there for me throughout most of my college experience. I remember the sleepless nights in the Summer of 2020. I wasn’t scared of the pandemic or anything else going on that year. No, the part of my 2020 that kept me up at night was the thought of going to college. I stumbled across a trippy music video for a song called “Can I Call You Tonight?” in the form of a YouTube ad of all places. I was intrigued. Not long after, I stumbled across another fun music video of his (again as a YouTube ad), and it was for “Run The World!!!” I was so curious as to who this man was, making this music and advertising it on YouTube videos (genius move if you ask me).
I looked into his music, and I soon became a fan. On one sleepless night, I listened to “Run The World!!!” in the dark of my room, and it put me at ease. The lyrics captured how I was feeling completely. I remember watching the music video for “Hot Rod” between short bursts of completing the remnants of homework from my senior year. Then I listened to all of his first album, Fuzzybrain, and it has grown to become maybe my favorite full-length album. Attempting to find the words to describe my love for Fuzzybrain would be downright foolish.
I continued to listen to and adore Dayglow’s tunes in my freshman year of college, and he continued to put me at ease during the worst of times. A year after discovering him, he put out his second album, Harmony House. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it didn’t quite have the magic Fuzzybrain did. I still listen to it from time to time with it having bangers like “Something,” “Balcony,” “Moving Out,” and “Like Ivy.” I remember going to his Uark Headliners concert at the beginning of my sophomore year. Man, did I have the time of my life that night.
Photo taken by Gabe Drechsler, @gabexruckus on Instagram
Photo taken by Kaleb Riddick, @kalebriddick on Instagram
In the Fall of 2022, he released People In Motion, his third album. I was not a fan of the record upon its release. On my initial listen, it, even more so than Harmony House, didn’t seem to have any of the magic. However, it has fortunately grown on me with recent listens. Particularly, “Deep End,” “Stops Making Sense,” and “Talking To Light” are the standouts. But unfortunately, I did not listen to Dayglow as much after the release of People In Motion.
When he announced his fourth album, simply titled Dayglow, I was skeptical of it recapturing the magic found in Fuzzybrain, let alone living up to the Dayglow name. Now that it’s been out for a bit, I have listened to it many times, and I am pleased to announce that it is a banger from start to finish.
His self-titled couldn’t have come out at a better time. I have now moved away from college, and even though I still have a few online classes left before I graduate, I am no longer living the same college life as I used to. I am back in the same home where I first discovered Dayglow, yet far from being in the same place in life. I’ve been very reflective of my time at university. The album also feels reflective. Especially “Mindless Creatures.” It seems to borrow “Can I Call You Tonight?”’s sound and feel. If you listen to both choruses, they sound similar. I believe it to be very intentional, with it being the most reflective and “nostalgic” song on the album. Not in the sense that we are nostalgic for the song, but the song itself seems to “yearn” for the nostalgia. “I was just 18, with the Fuzzybrain.”
Photo taken by Cameron Driskill, @camerondriskill on Instagram
I love “Mindless Creatures.” I can’t stop listening to it. The song builds pressure with the amount of yearning and regret it has when it leads into the chorus. These feelings are deeply entrenched in the track. The chorus, with its beat and how it’s able to let loose, is almost indescribable. In it, he sings along with the beat of the instruments, while incorporating a beat into his voice as well. It’s a song moment you would need to hear to truly understand how I feel. It’s one of the best choruses I’ve heard in a song. I feel a dopamine rush every time I listen to it.
“But way back when, in my days
It was so different, not as crazy
Now all I see are just mindless creatures.”
In the track, he is both nostalgic and anti-nostalgic. I feel this way much of the time, where I try not to think of the past with “rose-tinted glasses,” yet I can’t help it. It’s my favorite song of the year. I know it’s only October, but I’m calling it, because the song is that amazing. Can I call it my favorite song of the year tonight?
His singing is also top-notch. I can feel the emotion coming through in his voice. Every song has the contagiously upbeat quality found in Fuzzybrain.
“Every Little Thing I Say I Do” carries forth this feeling, while bringing in so much energy and joy. I said I was skeptical of the album at first, but when he released this romp, it got my hopes up.
It’s having so much fun! He starts popping off with the guitar in this one. It gets the record into full gear after “Mindless Creatures” brilliantly kicked it off. They affirm to the listener “We’re back, baby!”
Everything little thing I said about “Every Little Thing I Say I Do” can also be said about “Cocoon.” In its second half, it brings in some emotionally sublime moments similar to “Mindless Creatures.” “Cocoon” is like if you mixed the previous two songs together, and out popped another banger!
For “Old Friend, New Face,” there is an aspect of it that may be divisive for some. In the chorus, the way Sloan sings sounds like he’s droning on with a few of the words. It works for me, though. There’s something about how he sings in this way that I find to be appealing, even if it should not work on paper. His instruments create their own sort of jingle in the background. So even if his singing sounds dull in the chorus (again, intentional), the song still manages to sound upbeat and catchy. I don’t know how he was able to pull it off, but I love the song.
Photo taken by Danielle Ernst, @danielleernst_ on Instagram
Photo taken by Amanda Laferriere, @ajpgphoto on Instagram
At the beginning of “What People Really Do,” he strums the guitar to playfully kick off the rhythm. The lyrics, paired with the vocal performance, certainly take over while the guitar is there for full support. It is one of my favorite tunes on the record to sing along to. Especially with the chorus. The lyrics are so true, and I strongly sympathize with them.
“What people really do
Is wait around for nothing Until the day is through.”
The song speaks to me. It makes me feel less bad about being lazy sometimes. Yet again, the guitar TAKES THE MIC and starts spewing fire out of nowhere in the latter half.
Photo taken by Amanda Laferriere, @ajpgphoto on Instagram
I go crazy listening to “Nothing Ever Does!!!” (in a good way). It goes mad with its flow and energy. The melodious, strawberry beats bring me joy. When he sings “BUT NOTHING EVER DOOOOOES,” he drops to a lower, more viril pitch to perfectly emphasize the line. THE WAY HE SINGS in this one, especially at the end, I feel where he’s coming from. It starts to sound like Sloan is having a panic attack? A mental breakdown? A trip? He repeatedly says “nothing ever does” over and over in the most concerning, yet relatable, way. I was doing chores over a week ago while listening to music. That day, I wasn’t doing the best mentally. When “Nothing Ever Does!!!” came on, though, I kept singing it and repeating to myself “nothing ever does” in the way he sings it at the end where he’s like “Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-nothing ever does.” You’d think if someone listened to the second half of this song, it would further compromise their mental health. However, repeatedly singing this part of the song to myself, for some reason, put my insanity at ease, and made me feel better mentally. Thank you, Mr. Glow. I hope you’re doing okay.
Photo taken by Amanda Laferriere, @ajpgphoto on Instagram
At the beginning of “This Feeling,” he sings “Do you realize the things I’ve tried, holding to the moment?” The folkish singing of it hooks me in. There is a sense of gratitude in his voice. I know a record is focused if I can hurl the same compliments at each of the songs. Almost everything I’ve said about every other track on the record can be said about this song.
The way he quickly says “feel it” in “Weatherman” is a slick moment. I don’t know why, but I hear a little bit of influence from The Strokes on “Weatherman.” It’s something about the way he sings it and plays the guitar. He starts popping off with the beats YET AGAIN in the second half. This is definitely where the instruments sound the most like the instrumentation from The Strokes.
“Silver Lining” has an ethereal feel in the chorus, similar to Fuzzybrain. The pacing of the instruments and singing is a highlight. Again, I love this song just as much as the other ones. No complaints.
“Broken Bone” goes out with a bang. It keeps a killer pacing, with it being slow at first, but then crazily popping off with its bullish nature. What a way to cap off this fantastic record. The singing is similar to “Mindless Creatures,” which is, of course, the best news ever.
A dauntless project. So confident. So focused. Dayglow is back. With Fuzzybrain, Sloan started with a 10/10 LP. Now, he has two under his belt. Thanks again, Mr. Glow. The album is named Dayglow, and I love it.
Photo taken by Riley Donahue, @rileyjdonahue on Instagram