Jake Dryzal has previously released music under the monikers Blue Navy and Great American Racer. With his latest album he’s decided to put his own name to the forefront.
By Graeme Smith
Untogether is his first record as Jake Dryzal. While Blue Navy leans into the slowcore and dream pop genres and Great American Racer is more folk rock, Dryzal’s self-titled stuff is a heady mix of the two and consists of tracks written over the years that didn’t quite fit into his other studio projects.
Things start at the dreamier end of the spectrum with the slow-growing Chariot. A gentle, looping guitar refrain sets the early atmosphere before Dryzal’s elegantly pleading vocals float in. The lyrics are rich with imagery, evocative and emotional. It’s an understatedly striking start.
It tees up East Rutherford, the album’s folksy lead single. The contrast is immediately apparent but the two sides of Dryzal’s sound don’t feel incongruous. If anything, the variety adds texture, and the heartfelt song writing is the through-line.
The styles interplay beautifully through Lake Michigan, To The Park, and Going Downwards. What struck me most about Untogether as it progressed was just how accomplished Dryzal is at building atmosphere and a sense of space. Each track feels lived in and will envelop you if you give them a chance.
The album’s final leg gives us the brooding, acoustic Corridor and the heartbreakingly philosophical Alcohol Is Not The Answer. The latter is a lingering highlight. Green Eyes closes the record, giving it a final acoustic sting in the tail. Lyrically, it finally finds some kind of solace for the soul-searching that has come before.
Untogether is a truly DIY record. Dryzal not only performs every track but recorded, mixed, and mastered them himself. This comes through in the personal and intimate feel of his tracks. It makes sense of him to be releasing it under his own name. There’s a rustic nature to the music too, though a polished, lush version of it.
If you’re looking for something raw and honest to listen to today, then Untogether is a great record to get lost in. It proves a welcome introduction to Jake Dryzal for me, and I’ll certainly be keeping tabs on his projects’ future releases.
If you want to keep up to date with all that he’s doing, you can do so by following him on Facebook and YouTube.
Untogether is out now, and you can listen to it below.
