Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Cheryl Waters, host of The Midday Show on KEXP, is "Yellow Brick Road" by Dylan Cartlidge, a 2020 single on Glassnote/AWAL.
“I’m this kid who’s from a place you’ve probably never heard of, who has a weird background and a weird musical journey. And yet I'm being able to hold my own in my industry.” So says newcomer Dylan Cartlidge, a 23-year-old songwriter who combines rock and rap in a way that's garnered him comparisions to "everyone from Beck to Andre 3000," his press release confirms. On today's featured track, he teamed up with produer James Dring (Jamie T, Gorillaz) for his first song written and recorded in a "big fancy studio." In a press release, he shared:
“This song to me is about the juxtaposition of dreams & expectations. It’s about how fear and self-sabotage can dump the weight of the world on your shoulders in your most hard-earned moments. But it’s also about how overcoming all of this can be as simple as putting one foot in front of the other and stepping into the unknown. This was the first song I’d ever written in a big fancy studio. I made it with a good friend of mine producer James Dring who at the time was just this mythical beast with this amazing sound & experience. I had no idea whether this was the end of my journey so far or the beginning, the first time I would be in a studio like this or the last. I just went into the room with the mentality that the culmination of the journey so far would be whatever song came out of the session & I would leave it all it in room regardless of what happened next, whether I was headed back to wetherspoons or off to Los Angeles!”
Dylan Cartlidge will be LIVE on KEXP at HOME on Wednesday, September 2nd at 2:00 PM PT.
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