A Talk With Neither Could Dylan
If you're not too familiar with Neither Could Dylan, then let us be among the first to introduce you to the outfit because if you have a love for real deal, fuzzy-feeling indie rock at its purest, then this band is absolutely for you.
This band has a way of pinpointing this really almost nostalgic feeling alt and indie rock style that encompasses so many other subgenres within it that it feels great to listen to.
You get everything from Americana and folk undertones to classic indie rock and alternative but it all has this particular character and attitude to it that lets everything work the way it should.
Albums like Acceptance, have a lot to do with the performance of the songs. These tracks have awesome songwriting but it's all about how they are actually delivered and not just vocally, but on guitar as well.
Songs are riddled with twangy leads and augmented hooks that make the songs unique and addictive.
There's a lot about this record that stands out amongst the crowd but also that feels familiar and welcoming in its own way.
There are definitely some standalone gems throughout the course of the release but this is an album that you can listen to from beginning to end and never lose interest.
This of course coming from someone who loves indie rock.
For example, you get hints of Modest Mouse but you also get hints of the Pixies and so much more throughout the songs on the album.
That should be a good example of how much ground this record actually covers and does it incredibly well.
It's got a particular swagger and gusto to it that makes the vocals and the guitars very memorable.
There's also a cool personal aspect to the record as well that breeds some honesty in the songs and that is also relatable and something that draws you in even further.
The biggest thing about this record is that you can tell it's a passion project and everything about it is done from the heart and for the heart.
With that, we felt like having a talk with the band would be beneficial, so we did just that.
Here's what we asked, and here's what they answered.
TSWS: Okay so let's talk about the album first. Acceptance is the title of it. Is there a specific reason for that?
There is. It's sort of a funny play on the stages of grief. When I became inspired to write the songs that appear on this record, I realized a lot of them were my way of not just coping with the experiences I'd gone through over the last couple of years, but to get to a point of accepting them for what they were so that I could look back on them in a way that allowed me to forgive myself and others and ultimately move on from them. I say it's a funny way of playing with the stages of grief because for a debut, I jumped straight to the final stage and there's always more to unpack than we think.
TSWS: What bands would you say really impacted you and helped you know music is what you wanted to do?
Some of my biggest influences as a kid are still some of my biggest influences now. Bands like Jimmy Eat World, Death Cab for Cutie, Treble Charger, Sum 41 - these were all the same bands I first started learning how to play guitar and bass with and now as an adult, they're some of the same influences I go to for inspiration. The latter half of that small list are who inspired me to produce records, too and I still find myself listening back to some of their stuff being like, "now that was cool, how did they do that?"
TSWS: Do you guys do a full studio for the recordings or is it all done at a home studio of some type?
Everything on Acceptance was done on my little home studio rig which isn't much more than an Apollo Twin, Pro Tools, an Audio Technica 2020 and Shure SM57 - and it all resides in my bedroom. It's a very, very minimal set-up because I've been having fun seeing how much I can get away with at home. I have hopes to take the next one to a pro studio, but, we'll see what happens.
TSWS: This came out awesome and there is so much great style across it! Are you proud of this one?
Totally. Something I like to remind myself of these days is that I really just started doing this in this way in 2020. I basically had to re-learn how to play guitar and bass and everything else because I'd put my instruments away for so long, and I got to a place where I was comfortable with my vocals only in about 2022. I'm immensely proud of this record - I almost wouldn't believe I'd completed it solo if I hadn't been there for every little bump in the road along the way.
TSWS: How long did it take you to complete this record?
I think I started working on the first song for it, which was Happy, back in May of 2022. At that point I wasn't sure I wanted to do a full record and that didn't come until I wrote the lyrics for To Be Loved sometime in the summer. The bulk was recorded through September and October in small spurts and then mixed through the winter. So, a couple months I guess.
TSWS: What's your absolute favorite aspect about making music?
Two parts. I love looking back at a set of lyrics and feeling like I was able to tell a compelling story in as few words as possible. Writing was my first love. The second is building an atmosphere around that story to match. When I've achieved that, I'm more proud of myself than if I'm doing literally anything else.
TSWS: Do you have a tour or some shows set up as of right now? If so, when and where?
Regrettably not yet, though I have been poking around some open mics in different places that I never expected to play so if you're in the Toronto area you might see me sometime. But, I am diligently looking, so we'll be out there soon, I'm sure. I will be doing an acoustic livestream of the record on my Twitch channel in the next week or two which will be a lot of fun - talking about and playing the record through.
TSWS: Now that the album is out, what's the next step for you?
I almost hate to say that I'm already working on new songs because I want this one to breathe for a minute, but that really is the next step for me. I'm going with the flow of things and just working on whatever makes sense at the time.
TSWS: Is this a solo project? Do you play multiple instruments?
Sure is! Every part of this record is me, which is something else I'm really proud of because I'm not much of a pianist but there's some keys on this record and some synthesizers, plus cool little accent percussion pieces that were all new elements for me to experiment with over the last year because I only recently got myself a small midi keyboard. Right down to the packaging of the album, I created everything - all the graphics, and I took the album photo of my dog at the park one day. I'm a big advocate for doing as much as you can yourself - a lot of young artists hold themselves back because they don't have the complete thing yet - a full band, money to work with professional artists and all that - you don't really need it if you're willing to put the time in and it really is rewarding.
TSWS: How do you write your stuff? Is it guitar chords first? Lyrics? Maybe melodies come to you?
I'd say 99% of the time, especially in the case of this album, I write the lyrics first. My process from there is a little silly because I sort of just slap some generic farmers chords to those lyrics as I develop the melody and then I build everything from there. The odd time a melody will come first, like the main guitar line in "Casual Conversation" is an example of that, but I haven't delved too deep into starting from instrumentation yet because the words are always the most important thing to me. That said, I'm definitely planning on doing more of that with future releases.
TSWS: Are there other passions you have aside from music?
I sure do. I write short stories, novels, poems - I actually have an illustrated children's book being published as I write this that'll be out this summer. But, I'm also a big fan of anything active. Hiking, running, kayaking. If I'm not inside working on music or writing, I'm probably out wandering around enjoying nature.
TSWS: Any final message for supporters of your music?
I remember first sending a couple demos to some close friends of mine back in 2020, which undoubtedly were not very good at all then and it was a big deal for me to have people hear what I was doing because getting over that initial fear is such a challenge. Nowadays, I seem to have listeners in all sorts of random places and that's bizarre. Whether they enjoy what they hear or not, I really appreciate anyone who takes a moment to check out my music and I am forever indebted to you if you take a moment to share it with a friend. Thanks for listening.