Dreamer Boy’s new album, Lonestar, takes listeners on a heartfelt odyssey through time and space. The album reflects Zach Taylor's (Dreamer Boy) significant transition from Nashville to Los Angeles, including numerous cross-country trips. As Taylor moved westward and back east, he soaked in the vast landscapes, profoundly influencing his creativity. His travels brought him back to his Texas roots, where time spent at his grandfather's farm reignited a deep connection to the South that he realized he had been missing.
Lonestar masterfully intertwines Southern cultural themes and Americana textures while developing a unique persona. The album tells a compelling story, tracing Taylor's physical travels across various landscapes and translating them into an emotional evolution. The music captures this journey beautifully, offering a blend of heartfelt and engaging melodies that reflect the profound experiences behind them.
In a Q&A with Intersect, Taylor delved into the background of his new release.
Describe where you are right now in your musical journey in one word.
ALIVE
In what ways do you feel Lonestar represents a departure from your earlier work in terms of lyrical depth, sonic experimentation, and thematic exploration, and how do you navigate the balance between evolution and staying true to your artistic identity?
I think that staying true is to evolve. We evolve as people, and it’s beautiful to let the art follow that growth. I think that Lonestar was always a part of the fabric of my being, and it just felt like the right time to tap into that part. I also think that the audience appreciates when an artist evolves in an authentic way. I hope that’s what people hear on Lonestar.
How did revisiting your childhood home in Texas and spending time on your grandfather's farm contribute to the sense of connectivity to your Southern roots and influence the album's overall sense of nostalgia and longing?
I think that settings that live in our heart like that tend to be totems for self-discovery or rediscovery, and just being there, walking around the places I’ve known my whole life really does something for the process of searching.
"If You're Not In Love" explores themes of love and its absence. What inspired the creation of this song, and how does it fit into the overarching narrative of the album?
It’s a song about trying over and over and over again at a love that maybe just isn’t meant to last or was never there for the other person. It’s letting go of that idea. It’s heartbreaking, but on the other side of that, letting go is freedom. That’s why the album goes from that song to “Untied” then the peace of “Harmony”.
Your decision to record the album in full takes to maintain an organic and collaborative feel is intriguing. Can you elaborate on how this approach affected the overall sound and vibe of the album?
Just made it feel more connected and alive. I owe a lot of that to my band and collaborators.
Collaborations play a significant role in your music-making process. How do you select artists to collaborate with, and what do you feel they bring to the table creatively?
I wrote “Big Sky” with Miya Folick in a day, and it was just one of those songs that was so easy and natural to write, she’s an amazing writer and borough that song out of me. Goldie is an amazing talent and I love her voice, we worked on her verse together and I just love the texture her characteristic voice adds to the record. Also, my buddy Will from the band Hovvdy and fellow Texan does a guest appearance on “Bubba” that just feels like a childhood summer in Texas. Needed that feeling in there.
What inspired “Heartbreaker,” and how does it contribute to the album's narrative arc?
I feel like that song is a back and forth. Push and pull. You get hurt, you come back. Something keeps you intrigued and under their spell.
Lonestar is described as a "gossamer balance of Southern culture and Americana textures" intertwined with a larger-than-life persona of the Rodeo Clown. How did you navigate this delicate balance between personal storytelling and broader cultural references, and what challenges did you encounter?
I think the rodeo clown allows me to just be a character experiencing the vast variety of emotions/experiences that come with being alive and looking for love in America. Whether you see that as having any sort of connection to the climate of modern day or even silhouettes of the past, I leave that up to the listener. America is the backdrop, it is the setting by which me & my rodeo clown character are experiencing life. What a strange place to be.
Lonestar centers on the journey from running away from one's origins to embracing them. What pivotal moment or realization during this journey profoundly influenced your understanding of self and identity?
I don’t know if I ever ran away from my origins but I think that as a kid you naturally do that, when you turn 18 you are ready to sort of ditch everything you know in search of something more. When you turn 28, you realize how many of those things bring you a deep peace and comfort or even tell you something about who you are today.
Which song on the album is your favorite, and why?
Changes all the time, but I think right now it’s “Untied” into “Harmony”. I am just so happy that’s the way the album closes. Letting go, and finally, peace.
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