An intoxicating redhead, dizzying summer lust, reckless attraction and hot, ill-fated love take center stage on Becoming Young’s masterful post-summer pop album, Feeling Single, out September 24. Brandon Calano, who lived these juicy narratives, invites us into a private collection of sultry snapshots. The seductive eight-song album shows there’s nothing as exhilarating as becoming young and feeling single.
“I began writing Feeling Single after ending a long-term relationship; I was in my feels, feeling single. I quickly realized I had no game, but I could write songs—that would be my game,” the Nashville-artist says with a playful smirk. “Most of the tracks are about different people, although a few are about one in particular.”
Becoming Young is a mindset ideal—it represents the notion of love as liberation, the breaking down of emotional walls, shackling self-doubt, and overthinking. Musically, this work lives somewhere between mint-fresh, Lauv-esque pop and the intoxicating hooks of Glass Animals. It’s pop but with a sexy urban flair. Brandon’s lyrics are steamy still lifes of modern romance and impulsive seduction.
Feeling Single was initially slated to be an EP, but Brandon’s muse came alive during pandemic ennui, and he cut a staggering 15 songs in 5 months. Nashville-based producer Austin Shawn (Sony/BMG) produced most of the songs on the record, and the two had to maintain something of a secret liaison. “While we were on lockdown, I would put faux groceries in my car in case I got stopped on the way to his home studio,” Brandon recalls with a good-natured laugh.
The album offers a peek into the best possible post-breakup scenario. You have options, the consequences aren’t so bad, and the soundtrack is bumping. Feeling Single is a series of episodes of new connections, and each track explores combustible interactions well before phones explode with text messages and people are blocked. It’s mostly the good times here, and the resulting music is frisky, dance-y, and euphoric.
Feeling Single holds together as a collection of standout songs and a cohesive record, a rare artistic feat. Six of the songs are well-received singles. From the seductive slow-burn, “High,” the album flows with a sense of no-strings-attached excitement, bouncing from banger to banger before winding down with the penultimate, reflective ballad, “Not Our Time.” A stirring song.
To date, Becoming Young has earned over 1.5 million collective spins on Spotify and recently partnered with boutique distributor, Cmd Shft. Bandon Calano has previously won Nashville’s esteemed True Music Room Top Writer Series, and he has played sold-out shows in Atlanta, Denver, Boulder, Portland, and Seattle as Becoming Young.
To hear Becoming Young, check out his music on Spotify and all major streaming platforms.
