This one has been a long time coming: after fighting tooth and nail to release new music, singer-songwriter Dylan finally dropped her highly anticipated track ‘to love and to lose’ on September 9th. And it was absolutely worth the fight.
Dylan, who is known for fun rock songs, often with bold lyrics, is heading in a different direction with this release. On the one hand, she’s going for a more mature sound. Where there were once upbeat tunes in songs such as ‘No Romeo’ or ‘You’re Not Harry Styles’, there is now a slower, more deliberate rhythm to her music.
On the other hand, her lyricism has evolved too. ‘to love and to lose’ is full of cleverly used stylistic devices, and she perfectly captures the pain of always being unlucky in love.
What’s intriguing as well are the synths that are so dominant throughout the song, which have also been unheard of in Dylan’s music catalogue so far. The synths almost give the track a 2000s pop sound while the distortion takes it into a rock direction.
Lyrically, Dylan is at her best. She has always been a strong songwriter, but much like her sound, her songwriting has matured, and she is clearly growing into her own personal style. The verses are candid confessions full of metaphors, whereas the pre-chorus and the chorus are very much late-night thoughts. This combination is exactly what makes the song so relatable.
Lest we forget her incredible vocals: Her voice is soft and quiet at all the right parts, making her belts all the more impactful. Keep in mind that Dylan is an incredible performer too; therefore, the live version of ‘to love and to lose’ is something to look forward to.
Simply put, situationships have never sounded so good. A painfully raw track, ‘to love and to lose’ is the start of a new era for Dylan, and we are here for it.
Written by: Melanie Falkensteiner
Edited by: Mandy Huibregtsen
