Way Dynamic – Massive Shoe (Silver Opaque Vinyl)

Way Dynamic's Massive Shoe arrives as Dylan Young's third album under the project, and its international release through Jagjaguwar gives this quietly distinctive Melbourne songwriter a wider stage. Young is best known around Melbourne through Cool Sounds and Good Morning, and that background shows in songs that keep their footing in classic pop craft while sounding unmistakably current. The opening impression here is playful but restrained: minimalist folk-pop, art rock and baroque pop shaped with a light touch.

Young largely produced and played the record himself, building its sound from falsetto vocals, close harmonies and intricate but never crowded arrangements. The album's appeal seems to rest on that balance between sincerity and silliness: one moment he is tracing a small misunderstanding, the next he is reaching for something more surreal. Tracks such as Miffed It, Ibiza and I Was the Dancer help sketch that range without turning the record into a stylistic jumble.

Massive Shoe also arrives with unusually strong word-of-mouth for an understated guitar-pop record. Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield singled out Miffed It as a favourite, artists including MJ Lenderman, This Is Lorelei and Black Country New Road have taken Way Dynamic on tour, and Elton John has publicly championed Ibiza. If you like melodic songwriting with rich detail and an unshowy sense of craft, this is an easy one to keep returning to.