New DYGL: “A Paper Dream”

This is as jaunty as DYGL have ever sounded, to an almost unsettling degree, though peel it back a little and a bit more roughness comes through. DYGL move ahead on a hoppy melody, highlighted by some nifty turn-of-the-2000s guitar work and a beat built for a get down. And those handclaps, so jolly! It’s Nobuki Akiyama’s vocals, though, that really make this one feel optimistic…or maybe a little defeatist, depending on what side of 30 you sit on. This one is all about holding on to your dreams, and how clinging to that idea even if it is ridiculous can only pay off. Or…can it? Details about “when you put the same records on again and again” takes on a more jagged edge when Akiyama yelps it and the lines around it, and then you get a pretty direct jab with “when you feel so old, and you feel like nothing.” Maybe this one is built for dancing through the tears. Listen above.