Some of you may have been familiar with the word Dryas as the genus of plants that were particularly abundant during the first and third climatic stages of the late-glacial period in northern Europe (i.e., Older Dryas and Younger Dryas). For some who find the word odd, on the other hand, well, a quick search will tell you that’s what search engines say of it. But um, you’re on UNXIGNED, not National Geographic, so might as well forget it for now. This is just an attempt at writing a good introduction for our latest (and last for this month) artist discovery, The Dryas.
Hailing from the city of Brighton, the three-piece outfit has been making waves online since the release of its debut single, “Boy”, earlier this month. The Dryas are Hudd Hunter-Smith, Luke Cowie, and Connor Tagg, who are impressively self-produced. With influences like The Strokes and LCD Soundsystem, the boys‘ comprehension of what they’re trying to achieve indeed sounds ambitious, nonchalantly gauzy at large.
The release of “Boy” marked the start of the band’s promising career. The song, according to the band, gives an insight into Hudd’s personal struggles with mental health, the vulnerability of which is overt in its lyrics. While they have yet to prove themselves in the scene, what they have demonstrated in their first official release is already quite compelling.
The Dryas’ sound has an intriguing familiarity in it, and it’s not too difficult to tell. There’s this Day Wave vibe injected into its core. “Something Here“, for example, immediately comes to mind when listening to “Boy” for the first time. Some Beach Fossils flavor also permeates the feel, discreetly giving a hat tip to The Drums. But this definitely does not make them unoriginal. The Dryas’ sonic tendencies are way thicker and lo-fi-esque, its lyricism pretty dismissive and detached. Their modern take on shoegaze and dream pop can viably make for nostalgic earworms.
Another single by The Dryas is out July 3rd. Visit the trio’s website and stay tuned for their follow-up.
Sam is a mediocre artist, musician, and the founder and editor in chief of UNXIGNED. He is a Juris Doctor who leads an excitingly boring life in the confines of his room juggling studies with passion and dreams. He is terrible at finding balance but gets by anyhow. He wants you to follow his artist pages and channels for when he decides to up his game. Pretty open for collabs and will mix your would-be hit song for cheap.
