A little over a year after releasing Harmony House in 2021, Sloan Struble, also known as Dayglow, is back. His hopeful and catchy style remains untouched, as he curates an album that celebrates the existence of music and what it means in our lives. People in Motion brings a more personal and open perspective about Sloan as a young man who struggles, loves love, and whose sole purpose is to share his music.

 

The record starts with an invitation to a new world. "Second Nature" begins with dreamy sounds that make you feel like you’re getting ready for a happy show set in the 80s, where you know the colors are going to be bright and the looks are going to be funky. That is the same feeling Sloan has been able to evoke since he released Fuzzybrain (2019), but this time it feels more intentional. The song has a happy but minimalistic feel, just like the kind of love he describes in the lyrics. Though the most obvious conclusion is to think this song is about his wife Reagan, I think that it might also be about his love for music. About 2 minutes in, the song just turns into a groovy and fun instrumental, allowing Struble to show off his production skills, preparing the listener for what is to come.

 

The track is followed by "Radio," another adulation of the magic and simplicity of music. This one sounds a little closer to his older projects. Here is also where we hear the album’s title for the first and only time as he chants: “We're all just people, people in motion, and we're always moving, but seems we're never going,” which Sloan has admitted refers to the act of dancing but also to the fast-space environment we all involuntarily live in. Next is "Then It All Goes Away," the first promotional single that was released in June 2022. Both this track and "Deep End" address a potential issue in the artist’s life. "Then It All Goes Away" mentions some sort of lack of trust or miscommunication as he sings “Sometimes I can’t even believe what you say, it’s only in the way I’m feeling this down” and “you tell me everything and tell me it's fine, but there's something, tells me that there's something going on here.” However, this struggle is contrasted by effervescent poppy sounds that make you want to dance to your misery. In a similar way, "Deep End" also talks about how Sloan has “made it so much harder than it has to be,” but then proceeds to deliver warm melodies and high falsettos, on top of a The 1975-esque guitar that makes it captivatingly fun.

 

Sloan momentarily ventures into a slightly different sound in "Stops Making Sense." This song sounds a little more mature and brings a lower note to the entirety of the album, both literally and figuratively, as the track begins with a loud bass instead of the usual synthesizers. Though also addressing some kind of struggle, this time the approach is more optimistic as we hear Sloan sing that “it feels so right.” We temporarily go back to a lyrically pure song with "How Do You Know?" As Dayglow wanders about the outcomes of a new relationship while also embracing the irresistible need to just jump into it. In "Someone Else" he goes back to reflect on his personal issues, which not only affect him, but also may affect his relationships as he is not always able to be who he wants to be.

 

One of Struble’s most straightforward love songs, "Like She Does," is evidently dedicated to his wife Reagan. “What use is a song when I write for no one?”, “What good is love without someone else?” The 23-year-old asked the love of his life to marry him in 2020 and officially eloped last year. The idea of getting married to someone at such a young age can sometimes be frowned upon, especially when you’re trying to make a living in the music industry where looks and your personal life directly affect the way people perceive you – but to Sloan that doesn’t matter. He is absolutely sure about his decision as he doesn’t believe anyone else could ever compare, because no one would ever get him like she does. It’s ridiculously cute.

 

Sloan returns one last time to the topic of his own problems with "Turn Around". The track works as a way of acknowledging that he has things to figure out. He insinuates that he’s too perceptive in a way that most likely makes him anxious “When everything is always something to me.” But although he is aware of how this constant internal fight affects him, his priority is still making music: “I sure could use some help, but I’m still working on my dreams.” On a completely different note, the album closes off with another love letter to Reagan, "Taking to Light." The song starts and ends with his wife’s name (the ending is just a voice memo of Sloan saying “I love you, Reagan”), and talks about how easy it is to talk and open up to her. Struble also unapologetically sings “You hold me like a mother,” accepting the fact that at times his partner makes him comfortable to the point where it feels like how he felt around a maternal figure. 

People in Motion is a celebration of music and love, the two things that Sloan Struble lives for. This hopeful outlook towards life is what has categorized his sound and live performances since the beginning, and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. Even with getting more used to opening up about more delicate and conflicting topics, Dayglow’s feel-good energy and the atmosphere that comes with it still remains. Though there can still be some lyrical and musical growth, an album that feels like a warm hug will always work and be welcomed with open arms.