Singer-Songwriter Dylan Dunlap Shares “Stupid Me” From ‘Stranger In My Head’ EP (Out February 4)
December 3, 2021 BY Nettwerk
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dylan Dunlap delivers his story in plainspoken lyrics and shares every facet of his emotional, physical, and spiritual journey on the forthcoming EP, Stranger in my Head (out February 4 via Nettwerk Records).
The EP title is pulled from a lyric from the latest single, “Stupid Me” and encapsulates an overarching theme and critical message for Dylan. “At some point, every song references the internal battles in my head,” he elaborates. “If I were to visualize what I go through every day, there’s a third party. If I have a flare-up or breakdown of some sort, I don’t feel like it’s me. I feel like I’m out of control, and my brain is just falling apart. The best way to describe it is a stranger or a shadow. I need to learn how to live with the stranger in my head and be okay with it. I have to find a way not to just connect with my mental stress, but love who I am and how I’m built.”
About the track, Dylan says: “My girlfriend & I wrote about our shared experiences of drifting apart from the people we love. It’s a painfully confusing thing to go through and I’m proud of the way we turned it into something so hauntingly beautiful. In the past, we’ve both been left spiraling alone in our thoughts and wondering, ‘is there something I could have done?’. To me, this song answers that question by introducing the art of letting go and moving on.“
As a kid, Dylan immediately gravitated towards music. He went from playing the piano to learning Pro Tools and cooking up instrumental compositions. Dylan dipped out of Berklee College of Music to busk around his native Burbank, CA. Developing a singular style, he drew on inspirations as diverse as Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, and Finding Nemo. Between sharing the stage with OneRepublic at the sold-out Stadium of Fire event in Provo, UT, he packed shows throughout the United States and the UK. Following the release of two EPs – Things I Can’t Explain and Soldier On – Dylan has made significant strides claiming 40 million-plus combined Spotify streams. At the same time, he’s tirelessly championed positive mental health. The National Alliance on Mental Illness recognized him with its “Fighting Stigma Rising Star” award. At the same time, he’s collaborated with various organizations such as Global Citizen, Autism Rocks, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and more. Evolving with each step, Dylan only continued to record at a prolific pace.
To bring Stranger in my Head to life, he took a different approach vocally and lyrically. “With my upbringing in Los Angeles, I felt the need to stand out by doing all of these crazy vocal runs, belting, and playing gigs every single night,” he explains. “When the Pandemic hit, I realized it was destroying my voice. I moved into an introspective place. I didn’t have anybody to prove anything to, so I physically sat down and recorded soft vocals on every single song in a chair. I just spoke my way through the vocals and let the lyricism and music do the talking. That was my first huge shift. In the past, I was obsessed with writing the most poetic and clever pop lyrics possible. This time, I changed gears and thought, ‘What I would actually send in a text message?’”
“Stupid Me” follows previously released singles “Serotonin,” “Get More Rest,” Talk To You,” and “Same Side.”
Track List:
1. Serotonin
2. Same Side
3. Talk to You
4. Get More Rest
5. Savior Self
6. Stupid Me
