Dyllan - “One of Us”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 2

Pairs Well With…Clairo, FKA twigs, Xylø

Dyllan nails her mysterious, electronic R&B sound on debut EP not your goddess, a four-song collection that combines her pop-centered songwriting and experimental dynamics in a way that is both accessible and challenging. Trip hop electro-groover “one of us” employs a soft lounge groove, but ghostly melodies both vocal and instrumental elevate the highlight single into dreamier, psychedelic pop territory by song’s end. Dyllan is careful not overdo it however, not your goddess is a subtle effort and relatively minimal especially in her verses and breaks. That quality gives the minor hooks of a chorus like in “devotion” extra heft while avoiding any dance-pop tropes. Dyllan’s introduction closes with “my fears”, the most hypnotic of the LA-based artist’s early catalog, a song that put her vocal melodies up front over echoing guitars and soundscapes, a sound simultaneously lonely, pretty, and lush. (Kevin McStravick)