Dylan Sherry – What U Need

What U Need was the first song I completed for my Ur Love EP, setting the tone for what was to come. I set out to create a warm and simple tune, starting with a mellow acoustic track and reverb-drenched swells to provide it with more atmosphere. Coming from a video on my phone of myself playing and humming the melody that was in my head, I had multiple ideas right off the bat. 

I typically start the recording process with a drum track, which wasn’t the case with What U Need. The lack of one allowed me to experiment with structure more than other releases of mine. Yet as I added to the mix, I felt something was missing. 

Some of my favorite songs of all time have strong builds and crescendos, and I believed that’s what the song needed. Instead of keeping it calm with the ending refrain, I decided to add distorted and ambient guitars, a high harmony, and a tambourine to keep the tempo up. The additions to this song with the initial mellowness of the acoustic guitars provided me with plenty of concepts for the rest of the EP, and for songs that are yet to be released. This is mainly shown on How to Stay Lonely, the EP’s closing track. It shares a similar melody to What U Need … I like to think of it as a part two or extension of the lead song. Devoid of vocals or drums, I was personally thrilled with the elements I combined. Starting with an acoustic track, albeit fingerpicked instead of strummed, guitar swells and reverb-soaked riffs, it quickly began to feel like a proper conclusion to the EP. 

When it came to the placement of the track in the EP, I was convinced that I needed to start with a more upbeat song like Want Ur Love. While that still would’ve made sense in my own mind, I felt that it didn’t do the project justice. What U Need was the genesis of this sound I’ve tapped into, combining folk, indie, ambient, and rock elements. It felt correct to set the tone with the song, even if it’s more somber and mellow than the others.