Sunlight in every bar
Dayglow freezes a fleeting mood into a sun-soaked groove in Then It All Goes Away, creating a sound that lingers like late August light on bedroom walls. The song begins with a syncopated guitar lick that feels like a warm handshake, meticulously exact, immediately familiar. Synths whirl in with a subdued hint of nostalgia, reflecting the DIY polish Sloan Struble, the man behind Dayglow, honed alone in his Texas bedroom while studying advertising at UT Austin. The rhythm section flows with subdued confidence, never rushed, always in movement.
Here Struble has frequently spoken about his fascination with 80s pop textures; they flow like muscle memory. The snare hits clean, the bass walks a tightrope between punch and restraint, and the vocal lines glide with a pastel melancholy. No emotional strain or vocal acrobatics; only an ease that reflects the kind of sorrow you dance to unknowingly. In interviews, he is remembered as a teen learning every section of his favorite tunes by ear, layering instrument after instrument till it sounded right. This song adopts this method almost second skin.
The song has something perfectly out-of-step with current events. Though most of the 2022 soundscape leaned toward maximalist hyper-pop or somber minimalism, Then It All Goes Away offered clear insight devoid of chill. With the same intensity, it played on FM radios, late-night playlists, and TikTok edits, always lighthearted, always catchy. It did not pursue fads. It found its own rhythm and welcomed visitors. That quiet confidence provided listeners a quick yet concrete sense of rhythm in a year still reeling from disorder.
I started writing the bassline during my morning coffee and I finished the full composition by the end of the day; it felt so fresh and natural to write.
(Sloan Struble, Ghettoblaster Magazine, 2022)
The chorus circles back on itself like a carousel caught in a loop, with words that never stay too long. Its casual poetry relates to how it treats regret like an old picture, something you don’t have to clarify. Simplicity is Struble’s talent. He never crowds the area. All things breathe. The guitar lines stretch their legs; the keys chirp in like aged pals; the whole mix begs you to stay just a little longer.
The track leaves a mark that feels strangely personal by the time it dies. Built to linger rather than to impress, Then It All Vanishes Like those hazy recollections that appear on lengthy walks or in the back of a sluggish trip, it gently earns attention rather than demands it. Like a well-lit room, Dayglow is expanding his song catalog; this song hangs right in the center, not brighter than the others but radiating a warmth that never flickers.
