Album Review: Dayglow “Harmony House”

By Tatum Jenkins, Music Coordinator

Artist: Dayglow

Album: Harmony House

Favorite Songs: "Close to You," "Something," "Balcony"

For Fans Of: Clairo, Peach Pit, Wallows

Dayglow's newest album Harmony House comes just in time for summer with its bright tones and synths. As I expected, every song has unique and creative production, helping to make each one enjoyable. This is the second album released by Dayglow, the solo project of 21-year-old Sloan Struble, following 2019's Fuzzybrain. 

THE ALBUM FLOWS FROM TRACK TO TRACK

"Something" - already one of my favorite singles - opens the album with the sort of sound that defines Dayglow's distinct artistry. It's ultimately one of the songs the record centers around. Two later tracks, "Moving Out" and "Like Ivy," recycle melodies from "Something," giving Harmony House a cyclical effect. 

Throughout the album, each song flows into one another perfectly. Dayglow manages to stay in the same sonic realm while growing as an artist and branching into other sounds. 

FAMILIAR SOUNDS WITH A NEW SPIN

"Close To You" feels like a breakout moment of Harmony House. Dayglow proves his ability to understand his own creative vision and also what indie listeners grab onto musically. Like his previous album showed, he knows how to make a hit and he knows how to do it over and over again in new ways. 

The record shifts at the halfway mark with "Crying on the Dancefloor." The ballad is rooted in an 80s sound to recreate a familiar feeling. It's the kind of song I would expect to hear during a prom scene in an old rom-com - nostalgic and emotional, enhancing a moment. The song after that, "Into Blue," also contains a sort of synth-y inflection. I love how he connects these songs sonically, adding to the listening experience. 

DAYGLOW'S INTROSPECTIVE LYRICS GRAPPLE WITH ADULTHOOD

After this brief moment in the past, Dayglow shifts his vision toward the future and the complications of becoming an adult. "Strangers" finds him struggling to settle into his current moment and dealing with the changes that come with moving to a new place. He asks, "what do I do when everything feels new but all I want is to feel my age?" It is this introspection within his lyrics that pushes his work to hold more depth beyond his production experimentation. 

A COMFORTING END

"Strangers" then plunges straight into "Like Ivy," the last and most simple song on the album. Before leaving listeners off with a beautiful track to end the Harmony House journey, "Like Ivy" takes the melody of "Something" in a different key, allowing the audience to feel as though they've arrived back at the start. While this cycle provides comfort, overall Dayglow's sophomore record continues to shape and change meaning with every listen - a true show of clear artistic vision and creativity.