Album Review: Gus Dapperton Tells You Where Polly People Go To Read?

When I heard the title of Gus Dapperton’s debut, Where Polly People Go To Read, I thought of multiple meanings. Polly people, to me, meant polyamorous, and “read” signified a place for silence or “shade.” After hearing his debut, I am not, necessarily, wrong. For Gus, love is a “personality” choice; falling for the spirit that speaks to yours for better or worse. Sometimes, we are attracted to the people that make us feel as less as we treat ourselves, and, other times, we go for a romantic, royal treatment.

Lyrically, Dapperton feels like a wise, young man; someone that understands life is so much bigger than what he knows, but yet is trying to figure out what, exactly, he “knows.” The dynamic makes you charmed by Dapperton’s tracks like, “Sockboy.” “Roadhead,” “Nomadicon,” and “World Class Cinema.” He has a knack for speaking to universal truths in a very “millennial” way; referencing our lingos and eccentricities like a modern philosopher on the ways of dating, friendship goals, and journaling one’s self-empowerment. For Dapperton, he has no problems looking good, bad, smart, dumb, loving, or mean. To him, if music is going to be his truth, then he needs to sing to all those things. 

“Verdagris” to “Fill Me Up Anthem,” Dapperton gives you the many faces of “bedroom pop.” This genre is both new and intriguing because it feels relevant more to the “space” it places you in than the actual “sound.” Who has not done a headlining concert in their bedroom, or locked the door, put on their headphones, and let their mind drift as they laid in bed? Dapperton appeals to doing both, particularly, because Where Polly People Go To Read discusses the strange choices you make to feel connected with someone or something, even if it is drifting away. Hence, every synth and key feels like it is stepping from a warped wonderland into your mirror or mattress. 

Vocally, Dapperton sounds like a tv scoping through old channels of love fro new programming. He scratches and pixelates his notes like you are a remote changing his moods. The result is a record that gives the listener a sense of power over Dapperton, in part, because he sounds so vulnerable and vintage. His ability to be present and young while classic make Gus Dapperton’s Where Polly People Go To Read a record to own on April 19. Click Here For More Information.