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Dylan Gossett’s songs instantly leave an imprint. The Austin, TX-born singer and songwriter makes a mark with dusty instrumentation, gravelly vocal delivery, and emotionally vulnerable lyrics. Right off the bat, lines like “They say pressure makes diamonds. How the hell am I still coal?” and “Smells like weed and gasoline” come to mind. Guitar in hand and heart wide open, he writes every tune by himself and sings straight from the soul with no pretense and no filter. It’s why he’s emerged as a phenomenon in barely a year since his debut, and it’s why his music will stick around for a long time to come…
“The storytelling and visualization of a song are important to me,” he says. “I’m a singer-songwriter at the core. All of these songs I write are completely my own. It feels more special to me because I’m writing about real experiences. I’m essentially playing a movie in my head and creating a story for the listener.”
Growing up in Austin, his mom worked as a teacher, and his dad coached high school basketball. They also both shared music with Dylan as a kid. After discovering Ed Sheeran in middle school, he picked up a guitar. His first two lessons in his words “didn’t work out,” so he taught himself via YouTube and thanks to tips from his big brother. In between listening to classics from Alan Jackson, George Strait, Journey, The Eagles, Scorpions, and Boston with his family, he immersed himself in the records by Turnpike Troubadours, Flatland Cavalry, and Cody Johnson.
Throughout his college years at Texas A&M University, he never stopped playing and singing. Passionate about Formula 1, Dylan took a job with Circuit of the Americas, working in their Operations team.
In spring 2023, he began experimenting with posting his music online. He shared a rendition of The Lumineers’ “Ophelia” and eventually wound up gaining traction with a cover of Flatland Cavalry. As summertime rolled around, he caught fire with his independent debut single “To Be Free.” No doubt fueled by the “weed and gasoline” line, it exploded on TikTok and amassed over 3 million Spotify streams. However, his song “Coal” catalyzed his breakthrough. It tallied over 21 million Spotify streams, while Billboard professed, “‘Coal’ and ‘To Be Free’ position Gossett as a formidable, heart-on-his-sleeve singer-songwriter with immense potential.” Not to mention, “Coal” debuted at #24 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales Chart, as well as cracked the Top 5 on Spotify’s Global and US Viral 50 Charts and peaked at #14 on the iTunes Country Chart and #36 on the All Genres Chart.
Along the way, he cemented a signature style.
“I have Texas country roots, and I also love red dirt Americana,” he notes. “My sound is indebted to both. 50 percent of my passion is singing and the other 50 percent is writing. That’s where a lot of the enjoyment of making music comes from.”
He introduces his next chapter with the single “Beneath Oak Trees” from his forthcoming debut EP No Better Time, set for release on October 27th. On the track, fiddle accents acoustic guitar as Dylan urges, “Just take my hand and be with me, my dear.” Dylan’s coarse intonation adds grit to this rustic, yet heartfelt ballad.
“It’s about my wife and our wedding day at Inspiring Oaks Ranch in Wimberley, Texas,” he goes on. “There was a massive oak tree right over the altar. The sun was coming through, and it was just beautiful. ‘Beneath Oak Trees’ is a reminder to live every day as if we’re still under the oak trees on our wedding day. It’s one of my favorites, and it’s definitely my wife’s favorite,” he laughs.
In the end, Dylan continues giving a piece of himself with every song.
“This is just a guy in his bedroom writing songs alone,” he leaves off. “It’s perfect in its imperfections. There are all of these offbeat nuances, which makes it even better. This is homemade, and it’s honest.”