DYLYN - “Just a Boy”
Gwendolyn Lewis, aka DYLYN, blends genres so effortlessly that it is often difficult to know what’s in store when we press play. Her new album, The Sixty90’s, has given us some wonderful singles, filled to the brim with earworm hooks. Her most recent single, however, practically dips into the more modern, ethereal sounds of folk and, thus, it is with great pleasure that we present to you “Just a Boy.”
“Just a Boy” begins in the same manner that we would prefer all songs to begin: with the gentle strums of an acoustic guitar as though it’s in the same room, and those glorious falsetto “ahhh’s” echoing in your head cinematically, thanks to a thick, shiny sheen of reverb. Shortly after, DYLYN begins her serenade, almost channeling Hope Sandoval in a soft, shy manner that is sure to cause listeners to press their headphones tightly to their ears. And then the magnificent beat joins us, inducing involuntary head bobbing and toe tapping for anyone who is within listening distance.
An organ rolls in the background and the sound widens, then, like an avalanche, DYLYN hits you with that delicious hook: “Take me to your darkness… Show me how your heart breaks… I wanna feel the pieces in my hand…” Of course, by this point, all traces of what could have been considered folk have left the building and “Just a Boy” is suddenly the anthem that will likely be the much anticipated encore of every live performance this woman will ever perform.
Then, like an ocean of sound, it recedes back into its former self. The storm is over and DYLYN, once again, gently beckons to us: “Just a boy… Were you always this way? Was it all of mama’s drinking? Was it daddy’s bitter ways?”
If you have not done so already, press that play button– you are about to hear one of your favorite songs of 2022.
And you can use this link to add it to your favorite Spotify playlist:
-TM