Toronto Rock Upstart DYLAN BRADLEY Unveils Cathartic Anthem “I’m Sorry” from Debut Album No Turning Back
Life has its sour moments, and it can be hard to move on when it happens with someone you love. Sometimes, hard things come before good things, and you have to work through some pain in order to get to a better place. This is showcased on Toronto-based rock singer-songwriter Dylan Bradley‘s new single “I’m Sorry” from his debut No Turning Back, which the album is already at over 70,000 streams on Spotify.
The song opens with some energetic guitar riffs reminiscent of pop-punk bands like Good Charlotte and Blink-182. Buffering this is Bradley’s passionate vocals as he sings of how a lover made false apologies after damaging his stuff and how he blames himself for not being the best person he could be.
When the song continues into the chorus, Bradley refuses to be guilt-ridden any longer. He apologies for not being who his lover wanted him to be, but he also decides to be who he wants to be.
The song continues discussing the back and forth between Bradley and his lover as the guitar riffs have a little added flourish before the chorus comes in again. Afterward, there is a bridge that almost feels like an apology for the song’s frivolous tone.
“I know I know I know
I’m not what you want, oh
I know I know I know
I’m insecure sometimes, oh
I know I know I know, I know”
Bradley acknowledges this tone by stating, “I’m Sorry is a song about living the way that you want to live, regardless of what other people think. It’s a sort of tongue-in-cheek apology to those who disagree with the way you choose to live your life. However, the lyric “one of these days I’ll get this right” brings a deeper meaning of feeling like you’re not quite who you want to be yet.”
The newfound freedom of “I’m Sorry” is captured in the song’s music video. It features Bradley happily performing the song alone under a graffiti-covered underpass and occasionally riding a skateboard. The latter demonstrates the influence of 00’s pop-punk songs like Avril Lavinge’s “Skater Boi”.
Dylan Bradley is breaking into the rock music scene with brand new singles and his debut album No Turning Back. Heavily influenced by 90s and early 2000s rock music, Dylan Bradley brings an authentic and fresh sound for listeners worldwide. Dylan Bradley’s music covers genres including but not limited to soft rock, hard rock, and alternative rock.
His first single, “All Your Lies” was released in September 2023, with the follow-up single “October” released in October of that year.
Care to introduce yourself?
Hey, I’m Dylan Bradley! I’ve been playing guitar since I was six years old, even when I could barely hold on to it. As a kid, I was always obsessed with the guitar and shredding, and over time fell in love with singing and writing my own songs. I just recently released my debut album “No Turning Back” which tells a lot of stories about my life.
Tell us about the process of recording “I’m Sorry”?
Over the last few years, I’ve been writing songs nonstop and producing demos alone in my home studio. When it came time to make my first record, I met up with producer Al Rowe and his production team “The Agenda”. We went to Loud Mouse Studios in Toronto and worked with recording engineer Kevin Dietz to get great sounds. We tracked all the songs live as a band, including “I’m Sorry”. I remember working out guitar parts for the song with Al, which really brought a new energy to the chorus when compared to the original demo I made. All my vocals were tracked after at Al’s studio, where we were able to capture the moment more intimately.
Who was the first and most recent Canadian artist to blow you away?
I’ve always loved and been inspired by Canadian artists growing up. I grew up listening to bands such as Rush, Billy Talent, Three Days Grace, Nickelback, Our Lady Peace, Finger Eleven, and more! I’m sure these bands have all had an influence in my songwriting in one way or another.
What’s an album that you have in your collection that would surprise people?
Most of the music I listen to is 90s/ 2000s rock. However, I love everything including jazz, blues, rock, metal, pop-rock, and more recently EDM. People may be surprised that I’d listen to an album such as George Benson’s “Breezin’” right next to Guns N’ Roses “Appetite For Destruction”!
You’ve been making music for a bit of time now, what’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
The one piece of advice I would offer is to just write! You don’t get to choose if what you write will be great or terrible, but you do get to choose if you write something. Most of the music you write won’t go anywhere, and you might not even finish most of the songs you start. However, if you keep pushing past all the bad ideas, eventually you will end up with a finished song. Good luck!