On Friday, July 31st, David Moran, aka, sweater boy (no that’s not a typo, the official name is lowercase), released his latest single, “i think i lost a friend,” written by himself and co-produced with Dean Glenn (DËAN). This track is laced with that coming of age, nostalgic, bittersweet love and heartbreak feeling; it’s the perfect mood-setter. Think Perks of Being a Wallflower-esq soundtrack meets layered guitars and lo-fi indie rock production. In short, your ears will be happy you listened. sweater boy is the authentic, vulnerable sound you crave when you’re missing home, when the sun is setting (or rising), when you take that summer evening drive, when you wake up early on a Saturday and make a giant breakfast, when you’re with old friends, staying up too late and reminiscing ...you get the point.
“i think i lost a friend” explores the depression stage of grief: the part after a breakup where you’re not mad anymore, you’re not confused, you’re just sad it had to end. Lyrically, it’s extremely melancholic. With lines like, “I think I should have said I’d rather be dead than be alone,” Moran introduces the persisting poetic theme of heartbreak and loneliness. The production, however, eases the tension, juxtaposing the darker lyrics with a care-free indie rock attitude. He utilizes an uptempo bpm to further disguise the heartache of the story. It’s the classic crying-in-the-club trick, only this one is more like crying in the passenger seat of your best friend’s car while sticking your head out the sunroof and blasting music down the highway at midnight. While sweater boy chases this feeling with every track he makes, the cinematic quality of this one can partially be credited to Glenn.
Of Glenn during the early stages, David says, “He heard [the song] and really wanted to expand on the demo to make it more explosive & anthemic to counter the emotionally torn lyrics… adding a nostalgic optimism to it. Lorde and The Head and the Heart do this really well, so that’s who I was really hoping we could match.”
There is clear influence from classic rock in the guitar layers, and in keeping most elements from Moran’s original demo of the track, they were able to convey the grunge, made-at-home feeling while maintaining professional quality.
“There’s this wild stock Logic lead synth sound from the demo that we kept; it ties the whole song together, in my opinion. The dynamics are pretty much the same as the demo. Dean really wanted to add a TON of layers of everything because why not. The layers add so much power to it. The electric guitars in the chorus and verses were all new from the sessions Dean & I had at his house. We tracked at least 15 guitar tracks, because also why not? I grew up listening to almost exclusively grunge and classic rock, so loud rock guitars are basically harmonious with my genes,” says Moran of the production. (Be sure to listen for a rattling dog leash in the 2nd verse; it’s a little easter egg David hides in all of his tracks from an accidental recording of his brother’s dog walking past his room).
“i think i lost a friend” follows sweater boy’s earlier 2020 release “need to need you." Together, the two foreshadow a full EP to be released on August 14th. Find the singles on all streaming platforms, and be sure to follow him on Spotify and Instagram (@sweaterboymusic), so you don't miss out!
