"The album is truly DIY!" - Interview with Dayglow

image via Dayglow on Instagram

ME: You just visited the UK, aka my home! How have we treated you? I hope well!

Sloan/DG: My time in the U.K. was beautiful. It was my first time ever, so it all felt so fun and fresh and exciting. I did, unfortunately, get food poisoning in Cambridge I think, so my last few days of the tour I was feeling rather sick. But I powered through it! Kinda made it awesome!

You only recently actually started putting music out there and your album this year, Fuzzybrain, was awesome. Your voice is very recognisable as is the sound of your music, is that something you pride yourself of (if u realise it)?

I definitely try to stay true to myself and not change who I am as a person too much with the art that I make, so that’s really great to hear! I’m glad I still sound like myself!

When it comes to performing, what makes you most nervous and what makes you most excited?

I really don’t get that nervous when performing to be honest.

I guess a fear when performing would be somehow getting in front of a mean audience, but so far every show we’ve played the crowd has been so encouraging and fun. I think that has a lot to say about people in general— they just want to have fun! So we have fun, too!

Whenever I perform, I often got told to pretend like everyone’s naked. Never worked! Has it ever worked for you or is it still an absolute myth?

Hahaha I have never understood that either! I feel like that would make me more nervous. I really just find comfort in knowing that people are just people just like me, despite who’s watching. It sounds cliche, but I just try to be myself and let them be themselves. It usually makes a really good vibe.

Can I Call You Tonight was the first song off of Fuzzybrain that I heard and I truly believe it resonates with the title of the album - at least in my experience. Where did the title of the album come from?

I really can’t remember when I came up with the word, but I knew it would be the album title once I made it. It just kind of summed up all of the songs and the directions they were going. It was sort of a reference point while writing some of the songs.

When I go over the lyrics to some of your songs I strongly relate to a bunch of them. Is that something you hope a lot of your listeners feel? A relation to your work?

Yes totally! I’m constantly trying to find the balance of not taking life too seriously, but also believing that life is extremely precious and important. I try to mix multiple emotions into one song— I feel like that represents life the best. Overall I want everything I do to be optimistic. but I also want to feel approachable and realistic, and acknowledge that life can be really confusing sometimes.

What, to you, is the highest compliment someone could give you about your work?

That it has helped them learn more about themselves or other people in a better, more compassionate light. That’s the greatest thing I think art could do!

I am dying to know if you made the little plasticine head for your cover! Was it you?

Yes I made it myself! I was about to get a much more qualified artist to make one for me, but I had already done every single other thing for the album, so I thought I might as well try to do it myself. The album is truly completely DIY!

For someone who released their first album this year you’ve already made it onto a tonne of Spotify’s official indie playlists. How does that feel?

I feel extremely fortunate. I know that those playlists can sometimes get very competitive and political, so it’s just reassuring to me that the music I’m making is resonating with people.

Finally, since Christmas and the New Year is around, what is one tradition you like to keep up with? And if you don’t do traditions, what’s your favourite way to celebrate any kind of occasion?

I love to just spend time with my family and just slow down a little bit— the older I get the more I realize truly how important that is.