New Jersey talent Dana Why delivers sprawling 15-track album The Lyre, led by epic rock soundscapes and heartfelt explorations of life-altering events in the multi-instrumentalist’s life.
Rooted in his penchant for genre-spanning experimentation founded upon melodic yet bold pop sensibilities, the album comes to life as a love letter from Why to the people and places that helped him through a rough chapter of his own journey.
On the origins of the album, Why says, “The Lyre is as much of a breakup album about a person as it is about a place. I can trace its origins back to three life-altering events that all went down within roughly a year and a half from one another, from early 2015 to late 2016: a broken engagement, a move back home to New Jersey from Maine, and the start and end of the following relationship.”
Opening with the soothing stylings of “Glitter,” which stretches into “Night, Be Kind,” the album allows Why’s strong vocals to shine, bringing vulnerable ebbs together with soaring flows. The tumultuous anthemic feel of tracks like “Kneel,” and “Jersey Devil,” compliment the softer, acoustic-tinged tones of “Hand Sanitizer,” “Heaven is a Highway,” and instrumental closer “Broke & In Love,” in a consistent showcase of sonic diversity that remains emotive in some way from beginning to end.
Encapsulating the unmotivated lows in life just as much as confident highs, The Lyre, Dana Yurcisinblossom under his musical alias, showcase artistic growth and a new era of music that leads him into a bright future.
