harmony

Softjaw – Love, Hooks & a Little Bit of Telepathy

Posted on by patrickdonders

Some bands spend years trying to find the right chemistry. For Softjaw, it seems to have happened almost instantly. When songwriters Dustin and Tanner joined forces, they discovered a shared love of melody, hooks and all the little details that turn a good pop song into a great one.

Their new album, Love Can’t Kill You, is packed with the kind of effortlessly catchy, beautifully crafted songs that remind you why power pop is such an irresistible genre in the first place. There are plenty of familiar influences, but Softjaw never sound like they’re simply looking backwards. Instead, they’ve found their own way of making those timeless ingredients sound fresh and exciting.

In fact, Love Can’t Kill You is one of those albums that will help define 2026 as a great year for power pop. We caught up with Dustin and Tanner to talk about songwriting chemistry, the art of making a great song even better, avoiding the nostalgia trap and the joys and frustrations of recording an album themselves.

When did you realise that Softjaw could write genuinely great pop songs? Was there a particular song that made you think you were onto something?

Dustin: I had a couple songs knockin around before I met Tanner. One of them was “Don’t Go Walking Out”. I was definitely leaning in a more power pop direction but didn’t have anyone to hash them out with. Once Tanner came along we both started writing and things just seem to click right away. It’s a rarity to find your musical counterpoint so effortlessly.

Tanner: I met Dustin…that’s about it lol. I’ve kind of always been in a collaboration when it comes to music so when we met and shared influences I got a pretty good idea of what Dustin was going for and that got me super excited to start working that influence into my own songs for the band. The influence is mutual i believe and the combo of our approach seems to be workin out.

With two songwriters in the band, how does a Softjaw song usually come together? Do you bring in finished ideas, or do songs take shape together?

Dustin: It’s happened a few different ways but typically one of us has a song pretty much figured out. Then we all get in a room and give it a spit shine. I think we will attempt to be more collaborative for the next record.

Tanner: Usually Dustin writes an amazing song that breaks my brain and then i try and match it but never really get it, wherever it lands seems to be close tho and we go from there. my favorite times are when we show each other a song and we get telepathic and it falls right out. Thats straight up magic.

How do you make a good song even better? What do you tend to change between the first idea and the finished recording?

Dustin: For me personally it’s the little hidden gems you can sneak in. A special chord, a witty lyric, an unexpected key change, a change in time signature. The trick is doing it without people noticing. Don’t be flashy!

Tanner: I honestly have no clue. refer to Dustin on that one lol. I usually pour out my guts and call it pollok.

Your influences are clear, but Softjaw never feels like an exercise in nostalgia. How do you find your own voice while drawing on music you love?

Dustin: We have a pretty wide collective palette I think. We also try to steer clear of anything being too on the nose. If it’s a carbon copy we might as well be a cover band. The hope is to add some originality. That’s how music evolves.

Tanner: I think you gotta feeeeeel it maaaaaan. I was just trying to rip off the “deface the music” record by utopia… WHERE DOES THE WORLD GO TO HIDE?!

You recorded Love Can’t Kill You yourselves. Did that freedom make it easier to get the songs exactly where you wanted them, or harder to know when to stop?

Dustin: The recording process wasn’t too painful. I tried to mix it and drove myself insane. We eventually brought in Wyatt Blair for mixing. I was able to take a deep breath and see the finish line once he started sending mixes in. He’s got the magic!

Tanner: I don’t have too much experience in a studio so i gotta give it to Dustin on this one. its best to trust the person behind the wheel.

the dt’s: Capturing the Magic of Live Performance with ‘Live at Lakehouse Studios’

Posted on by patrickdonders

‘the dt’s’ is a Power Pop band hailing from New Jersey. Fronted by David Cacciatore and Tom Losito, the group crafts straightforward, irresistibly catchy pop tunes that are perfect for live performances. Fittingly, their latest EP, Live at Lakehouse Studios, captures the energy of their live shows, as the title suggests.

You can find ‘Tina’ showcased on the Best Power Pop of 2024 Spotify Playlist.

How do you balance experimentation with commercial appeal in your music?

We love to experiment in the studio, whether that involves exploring new recording techniques or instrumentation that can add flair to a song. We appreciate songs that are concise and structured with plenty of hooks and melodies, but also those that leave the listener wanting more. Balancing experimentation with memorable melodies is a challenge that we enjoy tackling.

Lyrics are too often taken for granted. What is the line of text or are the lines of text that you hope listeners will remember? And why?

Some lines of text that we hope our listeners will remember are the last lines of our single, “Refresh”: “Don’t hit that refresh, ’cause I know I’ll regret seeing what you’ve been up to, seeing the things that you do.” Throughout the song, the narrator wants to “hit that refresh” to see what this person they used to know has been up to. However, in the end, the narrator realizes that this habit of checking up on this person is unhealthy and ultimately decides not to “hit that refresh.” It’s a song that comes full circle for the narrator, showing growth, which we love!

We also try not to overthink lyrics and prefer having a stream of consciousness for what we are feeling in the moment. We always find ourselves looking to rhyme or finding certain phonetics that make a chorus pop, as the melody is most important to us. We love clever lyricists and wordsmiths like Nick Lowe, Jason Isbell, and John Prine!

Playing music in front of a crowd. What’s all the fun about?

We love playing live and we try to leave everything on stage when we are in front of people, whether it is a big show or a small, intimate one. Many times, people mention to us that it looks like we are having the times of our lives on stage. And truthfully, we are! Putting on a show with crowd involvement, good vibes, and full-throttle energy is what we are all about and what we look forward to the most.

If you could tour the world with two other bands, who would you ask, and why?

We would love to tour with The Lemon Twigs, Silvertwin, The Brook and The Bluff, or Inhaler (yes, we know that is more than 2!). All of these bands are writing incredible songs and we feel our sound would mix very nicely with them. We’ve been admiring their work and content over the last few years!

What compliment you once received will you never forget?

One of our favorite compliments is when people mention that our voices blend nicely together or they love our harmonies. There was one time we were playing an acoustic duo show in South Orange, and a group of choir students from Seton Hall University complimented our vocals and asked if we sang professionally. Neither one of us went to school for music, and we both have limited formal training. So, to hear that from students who are being formally trained in their voices meant a lot to us. Harmonies are something we put a lot of emphasis on and put a lot of practice into, so when people compliment us on that, we are always grateful.

If you could pick three singers to sing harmony vocals on your next record, who would you ask?

Tom: For me, I would have to pick Sir Paul McCartney and Don/Phil Everly.

Dave: Hozier, Noah Kahan, Jon Bon Jovi (Jersey!!).

What’s up for the next couple of months?

In the next couple of months, we have a ton of shows lined up both as a duo and with our full band. We have a great show lined up at the Crossroads in Garwood, NJ on July 18th. The bill will feature a ton of talented friends including Kelli Bruno, Gina Royale, and The Extensions!

We also have a new single coming out on July 5th! We recorded this song a while back with our good friend Joey Papa, and are anxious to finally release it. We think it can become a summer playlist staple! Additionally, we will be focusing on rehearsing some new songs with our band so we can prepare to head back into the studio. Similar to our latest EP, The dt’s Live at Lakehouse Studios, we are excited to get back to the studio to record our new songs and capture the energy of our band!