The Australia-based singer-songwriter continues to deliver the goods in melody, dynamism, and practical, no-BS songcraft.
Bryan’s back, kids, and today he’s giving you a taste of his forthcoming record via not one but two new singles: “Version of Me” and Smile Away.”
Toggling between Australia and Spain, production work on the two tracks nevertheless made use of the same ballpark personnel, with producer-instrumentalist JJ Extremera helming the proceedings. And what can I say, these beak-wetting songs are *chef’s kiss* phenomenal, and allow me a moment of paradox here.
They show Bryan’s fluency in different musical idioms, but they’re also testaments to his simplicity, his loyalty to the less-is-more covenant.
“Version of Me,” to start, is just a jubilant, lust-for-life track that reinforces the potency of a well-placed, well-considered guitar-driven arrangement. In it, Bryan’s band has the vim of The Wondermints or ‘Summerteeth’-era Wilco.
“We wanted it to have that happy indie jangle and drive,” the Sydney-based Filipino tunesmith shares. It’s an amazing track that has the early-morning-coffee vibrance of yacht rock, the stop-and-go tug-of-war of good short fiction, and the absolute joy of an unassailable melody.
On the other hand, we have the neo soul stylings of “Smile Away,” which Bryan describes as “having that genre’s hallmarks but mixed in with my style.” Central to that, of course, is his unaffected drawl that’s no-bells-and-whistles (IYKYK) and all-heart.
Purportedly about the honeymoon period of a relationship, the song jaunts along like a sexy little awkward indie dance. The adorable pipes of Barcelona-based singer-songwriter Alice de Luis ups the ante in this regard.
“From the moment I heard her beautiful voice, I knew that she would be perfect for this tune,” Bryan shares, adding, “No matter what style of music, I’m always a sucker for a girl-boy combo or duet in a song.”
“Smile Away” is reminiscent of clean-tone-guitar indie in the vein of acts like The Magic Numbers (the understated interplay, the boy-girl dynamics), but with an undeniable sliver of soul permeating its body. And Bryan doesn’t sound like a tourist in it; in fact, quite the contrary: he sounds like he’s put a wedge in the machine, in the process not quite destroying it but recalibrating what it does.
While “Version” is more up his alley and “Smile” not quite, Bryan maintains, “I think that’s the beauty of it for both myself and my fans. I’m open to whatever the music Gods throws at me.”
So, what do you say? You open to good vibes and hummable tunes? You came to the right place. Bryan’s double-A-side “Version of Me” and “Smile Away” are out today wherever you stream music.