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By Maxim Mower
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Plato believed that the leaders in an ideal society would be begrudging of the title and status this brought with it. If you chose a leader that was too keen for the post, then you'd run the risk of them purely pursuing the role for the sake of power and fame.
In today's world of celebrities and public personalities becoming famous for...well, for being famous, there is a distinct appeal to artists that appear reluctant to be in the spotlight. Where their social media videos aren't sleek, polished and overly choreographed, rather, it feels like they simply propped up their phone on a fence-post, grabbed their guitar and idly strummed a few chords in a field.
It's starkly evident, both from scrolling through Dylan Gossett's online channels and from chatting to the ‘Coal’ hitmaker, that Gossett would rather not have anything to do with TikTok and Instagram. He describes his relationship with platforms like these as “love-hate”, with the Texas native acknowledging them as crucial outlets to promote his music, but barely hiding his disregard for social media.
“Social media is such an amazing tool, and I'm so happy that it allowed my music to be heard and gave me a chance to step in and make music”, Gossett muses diplomatically, “I mean, it's a love-hate relationship. I don't like social media. I'm not a fan of it, it's just not my thing. You probably can tell, especially from the early days - all the videos I put out were just like, I'd set up my phone, I'd record a song and post it. I wasn't trying to do anything. There are certain ways and certain things you can do to get more likes and more clicks that I'm just not into, and I'm totally fine having less streams and less fans, if that means I stay true to myself on socials. It's a weird world to navigate. But yeah, it's part of the job”.
This spirit of rejecting modernity's relentless buzz and feeling of being ‘on’ all the time permeates Gossett's debut album, Westward, which arrives tomorrow (Friday, July 18th).
But Gossett doesn't convey this defiance through the heavy-handed tropes of mainstream country, by singing about circling up monster trucks around a bonfire, going fishing and sitting on a front-porch with a glass of whiskey. It's much subtler than that.
When listening through Westward, you feel as though you're being strapped into the passenger seat of Gossett's old 4x4 as he begins his musical pilgrimage across North America. It plays like a physical journey, with Gossett regaling fans with tales from the road, as well as a spiritual one, with the ‘Tree Birds’ singer-songwriter opening up about the spectrum of emotions that have accompanied his ascent.
“It's kind of a big metaphor about chasing dreams”, Gossett explains, “You know how people used to chase dreams going West? It's a little bit of that. And also, we were on the road going West all the time, like, driving to California and Colorado. I feel like we were always driving West. So that was a little bit of it as well...It's really about going for it, packing everything up, going West and just sending it”.
There's a wistful irony that underpins many tracks on Westward, with Gossett often penning songs about how at peace and comforted he feels when he is home with his beloved wife and dog. Yet, as a direct outcome of writing such visceral songs exploring these themes, he finds himself lamenting all the time he has to spend touring.
Gossett sighs, “It's definitely a tough thing to balance...It's such a blessing to be able to go and play music live and be able to tour around the world. But, dude, it's hard. Touring is not an easy thing. You have to really love it to want to do it...I got lucky with my guys and my band, and it definitely makes it easier having those people around me. But whenever I'm on the road and my wife's not there, I don't see my dog, and I don't get to lay down in my bed or anything like that, it takes a toll. That's what ‘Sweet Lady’ is about, it's a little bit of hitting the road, chasing dreams, but it also shows how it's not always the most fun thing in the world”.
It's this unwaveringly real and authentic songwriting style that has drawn swathes of country aficionados to Dylan Gossett's sound, with the fast-emerging crooner now established as one of the most respected figures in genre's new generation.
He strikes a balance between delivering sombre, real-time vignettes of his headspace at any given moment - epitomised by ‘Coal’, ‘Tired of Running’ and ‘Adeline (You're Outta Line)’ - and, at the same time, finding room in the album for glimpses of sunlight.
Embodying the latter is the album's stunning final track, ‘Baptized By Rain’, which opens with a heavy, introspective narrative drifting across a brooding instrumental, before Gossett opens up the song into a more euphoric, folk-leaning anthem.
This is what sets Gossett apart from other artists that have been labelled as being part of the ‘Sad Boy Country’ movement. Many artists that subscribe to this largely acoustic, largely despondent blueprint don't ever offer the listener a glimmer of hope or optimism that, despite the scenario feeling so depressing, a better day will come.
While Dylan Gossett is not afraid to dive deep into his struggles and anxieties, he also makes a point of offsetting these sober reflections with moments of levity and celebration. Gossett showcases how far he has come since his debut EP, No Better Time.
That project was tremendously stripped-back and pared-down, and while that initial style still informs much of Westward, Gossett refreshingly experiments with surprising tempo-switches and energising, banjo-driven instrumentals across the project. A deciding factor in Gossett opting for this hopeful tone is his deep-seated faith.
“I think a massive part about my faith is sharing it”, Gossett outlines, “I think I'm meant to be sharing my faith. So I think there are definitely some times that I'm like, “I want to write this” or “I want to put this in a song”. But with some songs, it just happens, to be honest with you. I might not be trying to, but it just makes sense for the song”.
This contributes to one of the most beautiful tracks on the album, which just so happens to be the opener, ‘Lord Will You Carry Me’. It's no accident that the first thing you hear on Westward is a hymn, initially delivered by Gossett completely a cappella. As the track builds out, it then transitions seamlessly into the lively ‘Hangin’ On’. Gossett emphasises, “I wanted to start with a hymn. I thought starting the album completely a cappella was a cool thing to do, at least for your first time listening through. I think people respect that, and if they put on a vinyl, it's cool”.
What is equally as striking about Westward - particularly now that Gossett is broadening his sound to stretch beyond the acoustic-guitar-led aesthetic that many of his contemporaries stick to - is how he has embraced the world of folk, as well as country.
Gossett stresses, “I think a lot of my music feels more country-leaning, and some music doesn't feel country-leaning at all. We have a song, ‘Adeline (You're Outta Line)’, that feels pretty folky. It's played in an open chord progression, and there's a banjo leading it, and it just has a folky feel to it. I do believe a huge part of country music is storytelling, and that is in all my songs. That's the forefront”.
When you consider the way in which he champions storytelling, sincerity and genre-blurring between folk, country and Americana, it's no surprise that Dylan Gossett cites Tyler Childers and Noah Kahan as two of his primary influences, “Those two dudes are incredible storytellers. That's the music I love, and that's the music I respect more than anything - guys and girls who can pick up a pen and just write like that. Like, I love a good melody, but dude, for me, it's about penmanship and being able to be able to tell your story. I think that's such a talent that those guys have. And then, obviously, they have great melodies on top of it, too”.
He expands, “I'll hear a song by Noah or Tyler, and I'll get inspired to write my own. Even artists like Turnpike Troubadours, everyone has their own style of writing, which is so cool. When you listen to a Turnpike song, you enter a different world than if you listen to a Noah song or a Tyler song. And I think that's special”.
Despite being a prominent figure in the industry for two years now, Gossett is yet to release his first collaboration. For Westward, it's clear why, with this project doubling down on the vulnerability and honesty that pervaded his earliest material.
However, excitingly, Gossett is definitely warming to the idea joining forces with other artists, “I do see it changing. I want to collaborate, and there are a lot of people I want to make music with and be on a track with. But with this initial album, all the lyrics on it were written by me, and it's a very personal project. So I take a lot of pride in that, and I just felt like, with it being my first project, I wanted to be exactly how I envisioned it and just have it be solo. But moving forward? Absolutely”.
Westward has been a long time coming, and Gossett admits he wishes he could have released his debut album a lot earlier. Few country artists are able to headline US festivals - let alone festivals in Europe, as Gossett did at C2C Berlin in March - before they've even dropped their first full-length record. But this is a testament to how meteoric his rise has been. Even so, don't expect the ‘Back 40‘ crooner to change his mentality, perspective or level-headedness any time soon.
Because, at the end of the day, Dylan Gossett is not spending hours on end scribbling down soul-baring lyrics and testing out new riffs on a tour-bus because he seeks fame. He's doing it because he believes in this sound, this story and this mission. And as a result, Gossett has a fair few million listeners believing in him too.
For more on Dylan Gossett, see below: