The Song We Have Added To All Our Playlists

Thank you, singer-songwriter Dylan Wright.

Every now and then Spotify throws you something new, something you've never heard before but something you want to hear again – and again and again. Dylan Wright's Passing Through is one of those songs. We've had it on repeat for the last few weeks – so much so that we had to share.

Wright grew up on Sydney's Southern beaches on a steady rotation of Tracy Chapman, Blink 182, Ben Harper and Tupac, thanks to his two brothers "who have very different tastes in music".

"Music is all I’ve ever known," Wright tells us. "It’s an outlet and my happy place."

Passing Through is a play-again kind of track, and – for some reason we couldn't quite pin – perfect for right now.

"I started writing (it) in 2016 when Donald Trump became President of the USA and it felt like a scene out of Back To The Future. The world felt like it was a little off balance and so did I. It’s also about not worrying about what people think about you. Be happy, be kind."

We caught up with Wright to find a little more about his process – and how to keep creating while this world of ours keeps spinning.

2020 – it's been intense – tell us what it's been like for you.
"2020 has been a crazy year everywhere. At the end of last year, I lost my voice for some unknown reason. I was going to the doctors, getting acupuncture, blood tests, cutting out all sugar and alcohol. It went on for three months, I could only just whisper and couldn’t sing. I went to an ENT [ear, nose and throat specialist] and they said nothing was really wrong, so I did a lot of vocal exercises and slowly got back to it. This year is exactly that. A lot of listening, learning and reflecting."

How did you come into music?
"I got into music thanks to my mum. She was an opera singer back in the day. I always tried to imitate Elvis and The Beatles so she put me into singing lessons to find my own voice and then pushed me onto the street to start busking when I was 12 years old in my home town of Gymea."

And who is always on your own high rotation?
"My go-to would be a random country playlist but high rotation in our house at the moment is a mixture of Meg Mac, some french jazz and Benee."

Take us through your process - how do your songs find you?
"I always write notes in my phone, whether it is a random thought or something pops out from a song I hear, or even as I pass someone saying something in a conversation. Then I’ll pick up my guitar or ukulele and start mumbling my way through the lyrics on my phone and see if any line or melody sticks out. There are other times I’ve just been playing random chords and out came the start of a song. It’s never been a specific thing for me."

And what’s the process of getting them down?
"Once I have a rough idea of the words I like or chords I want to use. I’ll write them down in my song book. My handwriting is terrible, sometimes a scribbled word makes me think of something else and will lead onto the next line."

Do you ever hit writer’s block? And how do you find your way around it?
"I always seem to go through waves of writer's block. I find it best to not fight it. There’s something blocking the music coming out so I’ll either go for a walk, sit down and just watch people go by, go through my old song books or read books to find inspiration."