Way Dynamic, the solo project of Melbourne’s Dylan Young, will soon release internationally Massive Shoe – a third album that’s playful and understated, luminous and textured.
Massive Shoe is minimalist folk-pop, art rock and baroque pop, produced and largely played by Young, who moonlights in Melbourne’s beloved Cool Sounds and Good Morning and has played drums with Snowy Band and Kankawa Nagarra.
It’s tempting to only compare these timeless songs to those of yesteryear, but there’s a sensibility, a turn of phrase, that feels deeply contemporary: it’s telling that Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield described “Miffed It” as her “favourite song in a VERY long time”, and Katie and MJ Lenderman have both taken Way Dynamic on tour. At the same time, Sir Elton John said that he “just cannot stop listening” to “Ibiza”.
Young’s songs don’t shy away from sentiment, or equally from silliness: on any given song he might evoke a cruisy trip through hell or earnestly lament a miscommunication. Whether the journey is to space or along the Seine, we’re very much along for the ride