And just like that, I have a new favourite indie pop musician. Dan Croll is fantastic. He’s got more cheer than Christmas, and he offers a nice twist on pop music these days. While some people would seek comparisons to Jack Johnson, Sweet Disarray sounds like a pop record crafted while listening to Vampire Weekend on a loop.
The chorus in From Nowhere surprises me every time, with the guitar quickly getting caught in a loop in my head. Thinkin Aboutchu sounds dangerously like a song I’ve heard on the radio many times (can’t put my finger on which ones), but offers just enough of a twist to be quite clearly and cleverly different.
Some of the songs get a lot deeper than their initial surface value appears — check out Only Ghost, for example, which demonstrates both musical prowess and strong composition. They balance the pop songs quite well. I also love the title track and Home for similar reasons. This album is so fresh and optimistic that it’d be a shame to miss it.