IMC Listening guide

Best weather to enjoy this song

Rainy day

Best time to listen

Dusk reflections

Best place to listen

At home

Does this song haunt the silence?

Melody lingers

Goosebumps scale

Chills guaranteed

Our thoughts

We first discovered Dylan Dunlap back in November 2019, with his single “If That’s Alright” as his first feature. We wrote: “This song has huge potential”. Once again, we weren’t wrong. Today, that track has over 71 million streams on Spotify. Sure, we don’t usually care about numbers on IMC… but still. Dang.

And yet, here we are, 6 years later, featuring Dylan Dunlap for the 4th time. He hasn’t forgotten the small media outlets that supported him before his career took off. That down-to-earth attitude is one of the many reasons we still enjoy diving into his new musical creations.

If you’re already a fan of Dylan Dunlap, here’s the good news: a new album called BROOKLYNITE is coming out on August 8. Dylan gave us the honour of an early listen, and we were blown away by the level of professionalism he poured into it. A perfect mix of pop and folk influences, switching between bangers and ballads, this album is simply massive. We can’t wait for you to hear it.

To give you a first taste, here comes the new single, "Fool". This one tells the story of Dylan’s cross-country drive when he moved from L.A. to Brooklyn. Uprooting yourself like that is never easy. Of course, you look ahead and get ready to build something new. But it’s hard not to look back. Hard not to think about the people you’re leaving behind. I did the same thing 15 years ago, and I can tell you: the decision is tough, but in the end, it’s worth it.

Mostly acoustic, the track features beautiful strings and sharp, clear writing. One line in the second verse stood out for us: “I am a warrior / I wanna watch me fall / Under the waves of devotion”. The vocals carry a hint of fragility, but what shines through is confidence and the feeling that the right choice has been made. And of course, Dylan’s songs wouldn’t be the same without his natural gift for melody. His hooks always stick with you.

As if that weren’t enough, Dylan has also launched a side project called Buttercup. More ambient and instrumental, it gives him space to explore his creativity even further. Three singles are already out, and we loved the peaceful vibe they give off. We’re especially drawn to “Northern Lights” and its beautifully cinematic mood.

Dylan Dunlap stays grounded, and we’re ready to float above the clouds when the album drops in August. Until then, we’ll keep “Fool” on repeat until the next single comes out at the end of June.

Dylan Dunlap's take on "Fool"

I wrote & produced "Fool" almost immediately after driving across the country and moving to Brooklyn. I was doing something with my life that I knew in my gut was 100% right for me, but the people pleaser in me (now recovering) couldn’t fathom the thought of lifting myself up while letting others down in the process. There came a turning point where I had to decide if I was going to be the change I wanted to see in my world or stay the same in the world of others.

A bit more about Dylan Dunlap

The Brooklyn-based singer (formerly in LA), songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Dylan Dunlap developed a love for music at a very young age. As a teen, Dylan left the prestigious Berklee College of Music to get a head start on his music career and started busking in his hometown of Burbank, CA. Since then, he has supported OneRepublic in front of 65,000+, released his first-ever single “Microphones & Lights,” toured across the US and the UK, dropped his debut EP Things I Can’t Explain and demonstrated a versatile songwriting prowess, writing with artists across country, hip-hop, pop and electronic genres. In November 2019, Dylan released what would become his breakout single, “If That’s Alright,” which has amassed over 71 million streams.

Reach out to Dylan Dunlap

Lyrics

I am a worrier
I am a waterfall
I am a wave of emotions
I am away from hurt
But from afar I’m not
I am wonderfully broken

I’m not a fool
I’m not a fool
For falling in love
I'm not a fool
I'm not a fool
For leaving what was

I am a warrior
I wanna watch me fall
Under the waves of devotion
I am a wanderer
But never far from lost
I am wonderfully open

I’m not a fool
I’m not a fool
For falling in love
I'm not a fool
I'm not a fool
For leaving what was

I’m not a fool
I’m not a fool
For falling in love
I'm not a fool
I'm not a fool
For leaving what was

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