Yes, it’s another one of those articles in which I start out with the weather. We’re in the thick of autumn here in the States, with both my home digs of Boston and dylan bailey’s turf of Los Angeles clocking in at a high temperature of 60 degrees. It’s about time for warm blankets and hot cider, or whatever else makes you feel nice and cozy.
You’re going to want to throw a few tracks from Bailey’s new album Sunday Night on your playlist while you curl up on your couch. Maybe you have a partner to snuggle; maybe you don’t. Maybe you have a four-legged friend keeping you company. Either way, for a little extra warmth, Bailey’s music will do the trick.
Bailey’s second album comes after her 2023 debut LP misty and a slew of other singles, although she’s still looking to have her breakout as an indie pop songwriter to watch. She started making her way through the LA music scene in the background, working for recording studios in the city and performing with other artists such as mehro. But over the past few years, Bailey’s been crafting her own musical magic, working towards the well-polished result of Sunday Night.
As far as the composition goes, the album contains some solid indie pop sound: A little sultry, steered toward romantic yearning. The breathiness of Bailey’s voice lends itself to the more intimate nature of her music, as if she’s playing in her living room to an audience of one. There are moments where the indie sound leans more into bluesy alt-country, especially on “Born To Cry”, but the two genres often mingle in ways that make them indistinguishable. Bailey walks this line quite well when she chooses to add a little twang.
(Forgive me for saying this, but there’s a touch of Taylor Swift in Sunday Night. And I mean folklore/evermore Taylor, not The Life of a Showgirl Taylor. Come at me, Swifties!)
Bailey starts out her album with the title track, which starts bluesy and ends a bit more uptempo, showcasing the shift in emotion from yearning to confidence. Bailey uses the phrase “I’m your girl” throughout the track: In the slower parts it sounds like a plea, but near the end, it sounds more like a defiant statement, as if Bailey knows exactly what she wants instead of hoping that a romantic partner will help her find herself. Regardless, loneliness lingers throughout this track, as if Bailey is singing this to an empty room.
On “Sweeter Things”, the shift toward uptempo indie pop continues, although the lyrics hint at a desperate search for true love. There’s quite a bit of pain underneath Bailey’s words, especially in the bridge: “Broke my bones to build you up / You saved my life, it’s not enough”. It’s unclear if Bailey’s singing to or about a romantic partner leaving her unsatisfied, or if she’s simply singing about struggling with her own self-worth. Despite that, the song’s layers and atmosphere make it one for multiple repeats.
As mentioned, things get minor-key and bluesy on “Born To Cry”, in which Bailey asks in the bridge: “Can you give a little love to me?” The song’s one that touches on depression, making it a good follow-up to “Sweeter Things” and a good lead-in to the slower “Blue”. In the latter song, Bailey asks “What if I told you that I’m feeling blue?”, following it with the question “What if I told you that I’m into you?” True love depends on these questions: Will a lover be able to deal with you on your worst days? Will they be there for you at your lowest? Bailey’s bluesy paean (no pun intended) posits these romantic challenges as we all should. If our lovers couldn’t handle us when we’re feeling blue, do they really love us?
On “Obsessed”, Bailey turns the romance on its head, showcasing the kind of person any romantic partner will have to deal with. “I’m obsessed with myself / I’m correct in my hell”, she sings, admitting to the impulsive, self-destructive, and self-possessed sides of her personality. “Let me go,” she adds, as if she is ordering the audience of her song to find better pastures. This is the point of a song like “Blue”: If a lover doesn’t leave even when they hear Bailey’s admissions in “Obsessed”, could they be the one?
The edgy sound on “Obsessed” gives way to more smooth and acoustic vibes on “Bones (Interlude)”. The track is incredibly stripped down to little more than Bailey’s vocals and guitars, although some light percussion joins in toward the end as the music and emotion hits a crescendo. The lyrics on this track are the most visceral on the record up to this point, with Bailey linking imagery of graves and bones to the strength of her love. It’s a perfect lead-in to “Falling For You”, in which Bailey shows the depth of her obsession for her lover and cracks herself open to expose her vulnerability: “In all of this there’s you / Where I store my heart, it’s you / When I come apart, it’s you / Where I wanna tell the truth, it’s you.”
If the album has taken a trajectory from loneliness and blue moods to bright romance, “Pomegranate (i like you)” is the most happy-sounding track on Sunday Night. The lyrics drip with the deep red juice of love, with Bailey singing about her happiness toward a new crush in a total 180-degree mood shift. And while Bailey slows things down on the album’s final track “My Dove”, she places herself as the one taking care of her partner, when throughout the record she’s been the one needing care.
Sunday Night takes a journey from loneliness to romantic estrangement, then escape, self-discovery, and finally acceptance of love. The storytelling and poetry pair well with Bailey’s music, and both are allowed to breathe thanks to the not-overbearing production from Jeremy Schmetterer (half of the LA-based indie pop/psych duo French Perfume). Schmetterer’s work helps bring out the smoothness and clarity in Bailey’s voice and make the most of the sparse instrumentation, highlighting the romance and emotion in the songs instead of smothering it.
Whether you relate more to the yearning front half of Sunday Night or to the fulfilled B-side, Bailey’s new record has something for the romantic in all of us. It’s a big step up in the songwriter’s search for a wider audience. And at the end of the day, it’s great music for those chilly evenings when you just want to stay in. Hopefully you have someone to share the couch with, but if not, Bailey’s music can be your companion.
Take a listen to “Falling For You” from Sunday Night below.
Written by Will Sisskind
