Gwendolyn Lewis understands the value of reinvention. After charting on Billboard as Guinevere and touring alongside pop heavyweights, she could have continued down that well-paved road toward mainstream success. Instead, she followed her internal compass toward something truer to her artistic vision, emerging as DYLYN—a sonic alter-ego that embraces life’s extremes rather than smoothing them into radio-friendly palatability.
Her forthcoming EP “Heavy” (releasing May 16) represents the most concentrated distillation of this artistic philosophy yet. Clocking in at just 14 minutes across five tracks, the collection wastes no time on pretense or padding. This is emotional efficiency at its most potent—a concise exploration of turbulence and aftermath that leaves listeners breathless rather than exhausted.
The title track establishes both sonic and thematic territory immediately. “Heavy” delivers exactly what its name promises—a weighted examination of emotional burdens transformed into cathartic release through muscular instrumentation and Lewis’s remarkably versatile vocals. Dave Cooley’s mastering (known for his work with Paramore and M83) creates the perfect balance between raw intensity and clarity, ensuring that even the densest moments remain accessible rather than overwhelming.
“Drown” follows with hydraulic intensity, its verses building tension through restrained instrumentation before choruses that crash like waves against seawalls. Lewis navigates these dynamic shifts with remarkable vocal control, knowing precisely when to deploy vulnerability versus power. The production creates the auditory equivalent for the sensation of struggling to keep one’s head above emotional waters.
By the EP’s midpoint, “Overrated” introduces necessary irony and self-awareness, examining cultural narratives around heartbreak with sharp perspective. The track’s sonic architecture incorporates subtle electronic elements that distinguish it from the more straightforward rock approach elsewhere on the EP, demonstrating DYLYN’s versatility without compromising the collection’s cohesion.
“Change Me” explores relationship power dynamics with unflinching honesty. Lewis’s vocal performance here showcases particular emotional range, transitioning between confrontational verses and revealing choruses. The arrangement’s carefully deployed negative space creates breathing room that makes the subsequent instrumental surges even more impactful.
Closing track “Quit You” brings the EP full circle, incorporating elements from previous tracks while pushing toward resolution rather than simple repetition. The addiction metaphor central to its concept transcends cliché through specificity and sincerity. The production creates a sonic equivalent for this ambivalence, balancing distorted elements against moments of unexpected clarity.
Throughout “Heavy,” DYLYN demonstrates remarkable growth since her 2018 debut “Sauvignon and a Kimono” and even since 2022’s full-length “The Sixty90s.” While maintaining the anime-influenced aesthetic sensibility that earned her millions of streams for tracks like “Secret” and a dedicated following (including a Gacha Life avatar), she’s refined her approach to eliminate anything extraneous. What remains is pure emotional concentrate—experiences distilled to their essential components.
Lewis’s evolution from Guinevere to DYLYN represents more than mere rebranding. It showcases an artist progressively shedding external expectations to reveal something both universal and distinctly personal. “The extremes in life make us feel something potent and real,” she explains. “My life has been all about highs and lows. I embrace it and learn from it and I celebrate it.”
This philosophy permeates every aspect of “Heavy,” from its unflinching approach to its dynamic sonic palette. While the EP’s brevity might initially seem limiting, it ultimately proves perfect for material this emotionally concentrated. These five tracks contain no wasted moments, no indulgent tangents—just raw nerves exposed through carefully crafted catharsis.
For listeners meeting DYLYN for the first time, “Heavy” offers perfect introduction to an artist unafraid to explore emotional territories often sanitized in contemporary alternative rock. For those who’ve followed her evolution from pop charts through independent exploration, it represents the most focused manifestation yet of her artistic vision. Either way, this Toronto-based artist has created something that lives up to its title in all the right ways—substantial without being ponderous, weighty without being leaden, and ultimately liberating despite its exploration of life’s burdens.
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