Gregory Dillon’s newest track titled James Dean, is a blend of anthemic dream-pop, acting as a tribute to the brief life of actor and icon James Dean. The song is brimming with emotional longing, and was produced entirely by Dillon himself.
Gregory Dillon is an artist with an interesting history. His musical style has shifted and transformed since his early tracks such as Plastic Ferrari, released in 2020. This track had a very clean-cut, poppy atmosphere, taking inspiration aesthetically and musically from Barbie and Ken-dolls. Surprisingly, this was prior to the Barbie movie released this year, directed by Greta Gerwig. Perhaps we have the singer to thank for the cultural resurgence of the Mattel doll-themed iconography.
However, Dillon’s new music has taken a darker and deeper turn, with this new track James Dean being a perfect example of this. The song begins with soft, yearning vocals which quickly rush into a dream-pop anthem with underlying cynicism running throughout. The contrast between the quiet verses and anthemic choruses are quite powerful. The album cover displays Dillon’s alleged fascination with James Dean, as he leans on a silver car dressed in denim with a plain white shirt underneath. This echoes the style of Dean, matched with his iconic longing stare into the distance.
The song acts as a kind of meta, self-aware, modern take on James Dean, whose life was sadly cut short due to a car crash in 1955. The track itself is cut short, ending with the sounds of a car collision. This wraps up the song, which is full of longing, yearning, and emotion for the lost potential of James Dean’s life. But it also appears personal to Dillon in some way. The track is out today, and is available on all streaming platforms.