Over the past few years, we have seen Toronto’s DillanPonders work tirelessly to ascend through the convoluted journey that comes with making it as a star in today’s music industry. The career artist has put out a stellar full body of work over the past few years, each one showing a solid step forward in Dillan’s talent as an artist but he recently blessed us with by far his best project to date titled BECAUSE WE’RE ALIVE. This powerful 12-track album is a full showing of Dillan’s musical talents and a tribute to all of the influences that he has pulled from to craft his unique sound. It feels as if Dillan has gone through an evolution, everything from his music to his demeanor seems to have been focused in on as with an album of this level, I don’t think DillanPonders will be considered an underground artist for much longer.
This year has seen us all have to take a step back and be thankful for the small things many of us take for granted on a day to day basis. Dillan’s unrelenting praise of perseverance in the face of hardship is honestly one of the most inspiring takeaways I left with after a few listens of this album. If you’re familiar with his music prior to this release, you’ll know Dillan’s grizzled voice has been known to spit witty yet relatable verses on personal issues, successes, and of course the benefits of mind-altering substances. All of these themes are present on BECAUSE WE’RE ALIVE, but the sonics behind them is truly what’s on another level this time around. The intro track “WHOLE NEW FLEX” is the perfect statement to his audience that they’re no longer dealing with the same DillanPonders.
There is a little something for everybody on this project, upbeat tracks like “DIBBY DIBBY”, “TENSION”, and “RIDIN THROUGH” show what Dillan can do as a lyricist, dissecting each beat with surgical precision. While Dillan’s lyrical talents were never in question, it’s the other elements brought into this project like the beautiful “LEMIN’S INTERLUDE” that changes the mood of the album so perfectly or “PSILOCYBIN” is a fast-paced single set to soundtrack a trip using said substance. Overall,
Dillan’s career has come with some major highs and lows, with some of the darkest times having Dillan fight with issues of drug addiction and homelessness all while battling mental health issues. These struggles have added fuel to the creative fire that burns within Dillan, he has had a unique journey through life and the way music consistently is used as a true outlet for his experiences, good or bad. Through it all, Dillan has remained a positive guiding force and with a refreshed perspective he has been able to isolate what’s really matters to him and it really boils down to the fact that we are all lucky to be alive.
Listen to BECAUSE WE’RE ALIVE on all platforms here!