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Richmond, Virginia singer/songwriter James Goodson—who performs under the name Dazy—is back with his first single since his 2022 breakthrough record Outofbody. Last October, we crowned Goodson the Best of What’s Next, and he continues to build on that accolade here on “Forced Perspective.” It’s a track that greatly leans on a mixture of late-90s alt-pop and contemporary slacker rock. The song is, without a doubt, irresistible and drunk on nostalgia, an earworm chorus and catchy framework. Though not as over-the-top and raucous as some Outofbody cuts, there’s a familiar ripple of bassline, punctuated, syncopated percussion and, of course, Goodson’s woozy, enchanting vocals.
Outofbody leaned much more into distortion, especially on tracks like “On My Way” and “Out of Body,” feeding into Dazy’s inclinations of alt-rock more than ever. The subdued pivot on “Forced Perspective” feels natural, though, as if Goodson has peeled back the layers of static to reveal a charming undercarriage of pop eccentricity. It’s like a softer spiritual successor to “Motionless Parade.” There are many reasons why Goodson endures as one of our strongest songwriters, and his ability to brilliantly weave in and out of different textural construction is near the top of the list. I hope we get a hundred more Dazy tracks like this.
The track was co-produced Canadian engineer and Quarter-Life Crisis brainchild Ryan Hemsworth, who recently produced Shalom’s debut album Sublimation. The lyricism is nothing that requires overthinking, as Goodson employs two verses enveloped by a chorus. “Never could see all that clearly, sweating bad dreams so severely,” he sings. “But every bad seed is growing on me now.” Melodies and replay value come in bunches with “Forced Perspective,” which signals that a new Dazy chapter for Goodson is on the imminent horizon. If Hemsworth remains at the helm, there’s no telling where this project will go next. The stars feel a bit too reachable, this infectious slice of pop-rock brilliance suggests just as much.
Listen to “Forced Perspective” below.