If you have not heard of Dylan Espeseth, then we have a treat for you! Dylan is an alt-emo songwriter who embodies the perfect blend of the current emo scene and the golden era of emo from the early 2000s. Fresh off playing a few shows in LA with The Rocket Summer, we got to sit with Dylan to learn more about him as a songwriter and his newest single, ‘Thoughts.’
So without further ado, let’s get into the interview!
Hi Dylan! Thank you so much for speaking with us today! For our first question, we like to give you a chance to introduce yourself to the THP readers.
Hey! I’m Dylan Espeseth. I’m from Seattle, and I’m a songwriter and musician who mostly just writes songs about what I’m feeling.
You just recently came off playing a few shows with The Rocket Summer. As massive fans of TRS, what was your favorite moment from that tour?
That whole experience was so incredible. The most notable thing for me was probably the absolute masterclass of a performance from TRS. Watching the way that Bryce was able to have such presence and command of the stage, even in moments where he was alone on the stage with just an acoustic guitar, the energy was incredible. I could feel the genuine passion and emotion radiating off of everyone in the room.
Is there anything that you have learned now that you are home?
Being home, I think, has really cemented in me the importance of live music. Going from playing my songs to a room full of people, back to writing alone in my room has really shown me why live music is so powerful. It feels like a case of ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder,’ where now that there’s nobody around for me to play to, I realize how meaningful that sharing your art is to the process of making it.
Your debut album is produced by Aaron Sprinkle, what was it like working with him and is there anything that you have learned after working with him on this project?
Working with Aaron has been a dream come true in a lot of ways. I’ve been a major fan of albums he’s produced for many years, and after working with him, I totally see why they’re so great. He understood the vision for the project so well from the very first conversation we had. He very much taught me the importance of emotion in the vocals above everything else. His advice was more or less that if you can deliver the lyrics with the right emotion, everything else will follow, and I think that really showed to be true. I definitely think he brought out a lot of my best vocal performances I’ve ever done on these songs.
You just released your song, ‘Thoughts,’ which reminds us of Yellowcard’s ‘Only One.’ What can you tell us about the process of writing this track and something you are hoping fans can take away from it?
When I first wrote this song, I didn’t really think it would ever see the light of day. I wrote the first verse and chorus when I was just playing around on my guitar at home, and it just lived as a voice memo on my phone for a month or two.
During one of my first meetings with Aaron, I was showing him some acoustic demos. I wasn’t planning to play that song, but he asked me if I had anything a little slower or ballady, so I played him the first verse of that song, and he immediately said, “We NEED to do that one.” So I went home and added the bridge part, which was scrapped from a different song, and over the next week, I wrote a second verse for it. Overall, I just hope that people realize they’re not alone in not having everything figured out. It feels so easy to fall into feeling behind everyone else, but for the most part, I think nobody has it all figured out.
We have an eclectic music taste here at THP, but we are forever emo kids at heart. What has it meant for you to be bringing that true angsty emo rock vibe to the front of the current scene?
I think the angsty emo vibe will always have my heart, so getting to be a part of that scene is such an exciting thing for me. It truly feels like I’m making music that I would be obsessed with if I just heard it organically. This project really feels like I’ve finally honed my sound into what I’ve been working towards for years, and I’m so ready for everyone to hear the rest of it.
With your debut album releasing in early 2026, what can you tell us about the album as a whole?
The album really feels like a perfect mix of my music taste, all swirled into one cohesive project. I’d say it’s at the center of the emo rock, folk, and indie pop venn diagram, which I think encapsulates my entire musical personality. The goal was to make something that fuses all of my influences into one cohesive project, and I really think we nailed that.
We’d love to dig in a little deeper into your songwriting process! What is your favorite way to write? Are you more of a get into the studio and see what happens, or do you like coming into the studio with an idea of the topic of the session or a specific project?
I do most of my writing unintentionally in my bedroom. It’s fairly rare for me to sit down with a topic in mind. Usually, I just strum around on my acoustic at home or in my backyard until I come up with a few lyrics I like, and then I build off of that. Sometimes I’ll take just that idea into the studio, but especially with this project, most of the songs were almost completely finished acoustically before we began working in the studio at all.
For the last question, is there anything else you would like your fans and any new fans to know about you and your upcoming projects?
All-in-all I’m just really excited to share everything I’ve been working on. I truly think this project is my best and most honest writing I’ve ever done. I just want everyone to know how glad I am to get to share this music with anyone who’s willing to listen.
Watch the music video for ‘Thoughts’ below!
We absolutely loved getting to chat with Dylan about his songwriting, new track ‘Thoughts,’ and what he’s learned after opening for The Rocket Summer!
We want to hear from YOU! Let us know your thoughts on ‘Thoughts’ in the comments below or chat with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Discord.
Want more music? We got you!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DYLAN ESPESETH:
INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
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