Dalton: The Fade In
Dalton is the solo-project of indie musician Nate Harar. A multi-instrumentalist, Harar writes and produces every track on his own, recording them in his tiny studio apartment. With this no-nonsense approach, his music conveys easy-to-digest verses and infectious hooks through stripped down piano and electric guitar – a nod to rock’s no-frills delivery of the early 1990’s.
The project began in 2012 when, tired of jumping from band to band, Harar decided to write and record on his own in his Brooklyn apartment. After posting some demos online under the moniker Dalton, the music began to grab the attention of several music sites and critics, lauding the music for its scrappy energy and effortless production. Yahoo! Voices exclaimed that “Dalton has delivered lo-fi pop at its best,” while Indie Rock Café echoed those sentiments, saying “Dalton has breathed new life into the genre”.
With this newfound acclaim, Harar continued to accumulate songs for what would become his debut album. During this time he also relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. In February 2015, he released his self-titled debut album as Dalton on Fierce Panda Records. Of the album NME remarked “[t]here’s a joy to his melancholy… one that draws you in and holds you close until the song’s final notes”, while Drowned In Sound proclaimed it “…something of a triumph for its creator”.
Since the album’s release Harar has found himself in a state of flux, alternating between Los Angeles, Brooklyn and his hometown of Alexandria, Virginia. While continuing to write in his usual solitary method, the music began to take a more inward approach. Gone were the distorted guitars and strained vocals, replaced instead with acoustic instruments and strings. This new collection sounds less like The Replacements-inspired indie rock of his debut, and more akin to the introspective work of Peter Gabriel’s early albums.
While the delivery may have changed, the impactful melodies and incisive songwriting has not. As Dalton continues to progress so does the music, and there continues to be a through line underneath that hinges one song to the next, creating a cohesive narrative unmistakably his own.
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