Way Dynamic

Multi-instrumentalist Dylan Young, who keeps time for Snowy Band, Darren Hanlon, and other acts, fronts Way Dynamic, a project rooted in 1970s singer/songwriter traditions and soft rock while also nodding to bossa and Baroque pop. The group’s debut album, So Familiar, delivered an eccentric yet polished take on those smooth textures when it surfaced in 2022.

Young first assembled Way Dynamic in Ballarat, Australia, as a catch-all for his stray musical ideas. Drawing cues from Brian Wilson, Carole King, and Steely Dan, the undertaking evolved into an intermittent band whose tighter, soft-rock direction he mapped out himself. He tracked the debut EP, What’s It All for Now, alone at his Carlton, Victoria home across just a handful of days; the set reached listeners via Melbourne label Our Golden Friend in November 2018.

Once settled in Melbourne, Young became a sought-after drummer, joining the indie-pop ensembles Snowy Band and Cool Sounds while also supporting Snowy Band’s Emma Russack and singer/songwriter Darren Hanlon. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic he wrote the songs for Way Dynamic’s first full-length while staying close to home. With Young handling most parts, So Familiar was laid to tape alongside Good Morning’s Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair and guests Lehmann B Smith, Gordon Li, and Russack before emerging on Bobo Integral and Earth Libraries in October 2022.