The sophomore release from the contemporaneous artist Ryan Beatty sees this musical ingenue challenge the traditional pop sound by meshing together various influences while still discovering a new sound of his own. This work, Dreaming of David, follows the release of Beatty’s critically-acclaimed debut album Boy in Jeans and tells the intimacies of (queer) love through the lens of Beatty’s own lived experiences. It has this haunting, eerie, yet otherworldly sound that encapsulates you in the story Beatty unfolds before you. I think that it is certainly one of the best albums of 2020, and there is a lot to be discovered with every listen.
(5)
The seemingly new artist Beatty has had a long yet complicated relationship with the music industry. After finding his initial success as a new-wave Justin Bieber and being marketed as a new teen heartthrob, he spent his teenage years working on music under this image and with Radio Disney (1). However, after much thought and agonizing, Beatty cut ties with his old management, came out as gay, and started to explore what it was that he really wanted to pursue musically. This initial sense of reclaimed freedom led to the conception of his debut album Boy in Jeans which is an intimate chronicling of his discovery, acceptance, and celebration of his own identity. Throughout this time, he also collaborated with his newfound friends Kevin Abstract and BROCKHAMPTON, musical individualist Tyler, the Creator, and well-known producer Benny Blanco (2). These projects ranged from Abstract’s ARIZONA BABY, BROCKHAMPTON’s Ginger, Saturation II, and Saturation III, and Tyler, the Creator’s Igor (3).
After finding his voice in Boy in Jeans, Beatty looked toward how to further his sound in this sophomore endeavor. In this regard, he worked heavily with producers Daniel Fox and Austin Anderson, who play in the band Slow Hollows, to create this moody, heart-baring album that seems to carve out Beatty’s innermost thoughts and transform them into heavenly sounds. This 12-track album that pushes the limits of the pop sound was released on January 31, 2020, after being worked on for two years– before his debut album was even released (1). The sound is a unique blend of tender vocals with iridescent production that calls back to the work of his frequent collaborators BROCKHAMPTON as well as the candid lyricality and genre-pushing production of Frank Ocean. The tracks touch on themes of love and longing, complicated relationships, and the queer experience with deeply personal lyrics and an even more intimate production.
(5)
Personally, there is a lot about this album as a whole that I really love. I remember the first time I listened to a song from this album I was hooked by its incredibly touching sound and message. It provided a sort of comfort in a tough and lonely period of my life that I really appreciate it being there for. I think there is something ethereal about the way Beatty and his producers worked on his vocals with the various effects of layering, pitching, and more to create this all-encapsulating and “atmospheric” sound as Beatty describes it (4). The songs really can feel like wrapping yourself in a warm, fuzzy weighted blanket and letting the sound and story wash over your whole being. Other times, the songs can feel like levitating through the clouds or letting yourself go surrounded by the people you love. The difference each song can hold while still all coming together to make one cohesive record is one of my favorite things about this album and other albums like it.
Artists like Beatty have a genuine passion for making staunchly individualistic sounds and carving out a personal space for their voices which is one of the most beautiful things about music and all art forms. In fact, when Beatty was describing the creation of this album and its namesake, he compared it to Michaelangelo’s David: “To me, it felt like I was staring at marble and I was constantly chipping away at something. I could see what was inside but it took me a while to shape it into what I wanted it to be” (2). This care he took with the construction of this album can be seen in the fine details of its conception; while the beats and synths can seem very disordered at times, each one has its place and has been meticulously placed by Beatty and his producers. He even said that creating this album was a process that taught him “perseverance, patience and to listen to the world around me” (3). When you listen to each of the songs on the record, you can notice and feel the extra care he put into making sure everything came together just right. It is truly a beautiful album from beginning to end.
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/ryan-beatty-dreaming-of-david-950754/
- https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/feb/07/ryan-beatty-was-set-to-be-the-next-bieber-then-he-realised-he-was-living-a-lie
- https://www.onestowatch.com/en/blog/ryan-beatty-dreaming-of-david
- https://coolhunting.com/culture/interview-ryan-beatty/
- https://www.last.fm/music/Ryan+Beatty/+images
- https://twitter.com/TheRyanBeatty/status/1223035612841701377
I really liked your post Kevin! I always find it so interesting to read about different peoples thoughts and opinions on albums, artists, and musical work as a whole. I have not listened to any of Ryan Beatty’s work but I will for sure have to check it out. I really liked how you gave backround on Ryan Beatty’s previous musical endeavors to help us get a picture of who he is and how that may have shaped his current album as of today; as well as how he recently came out as gay. Overall good work your writing was very detailed!
I have never listened to a song by Ryan Beatty, but the way that you have described his music has made me so curious about what emotions he conveys through his songs. I definitely will be listening to some of his songs and adding them to my playlists because I feel that they will provide me with the reassurance that I will need to get through the remainder of the semester. Fantastic job!