Continuing my look at Just Daniel, the new EP by singer-songwriter Daniel Gallup…
The next track, Eagle Eyes, is another that reminds me of John Mayer, particularly when it gets to the great guitar solo at the climax.
Like ‘Just Say,’ this song finds a hopeful romantic shooting his shot. This guy is a bit more serious than the previous track’s dance club flirter. He’s even ready to hear the lucky lady’s opinions on the latest season of The Bachelor.
The song hits the brakes to segue into a very effective bridge, where our narrator admits his fears of ending up hurt: “I’m trying not to fall for you, I guess I’m kinda scared that you’re not gonna fall for me too.”
Enter the kick-ass guitar.
That’s the moment ‘Eager Eyes’ grabs me for good.
When I first saw your face
No wait, that’s too cliche
And yet true
It was the length of your hair
But also your serene stare
Something there
So intangible and new
I’ve thought about you every day
Been wondering if you feel the same
You haven’t stopped running through my mind
Not sure what it is about you I’ve lost the game
My cards on the table, my hands displayed
No disguise I’m trying to hide behind
Let’s just see
Let’s take our time
Take in these moments
Take this ride
Where it leads
Started with my eager eyes
Thought I must’ve been foolishly hoping
When I saw it in your smile
You exceed expectations
My imagination
Never did you justice
Just one second and I was taken
Any reservations left at the door
I wanna hear more about
Your favorite documentaries
Your opinions on this bachelor season
Your process for making coffee in the morning
What lies behind what you believe
How you retain optimism in the face of greed
How you laugh uncontrollably without any warning
Said
Let’s just see
Let’s take our time
Take in these moments
Take this ride
Where it leads
Started with my eager eyes
Thought I must’ve been foolishly hoping
When I saw it in your smile
But I’m trying not to fall for you
I guess I’m kinda scared that you’re not gonna fall for me too
I’m trying not to fall for you
I guess I’m kinda scared that you’re not gonna fall for me too
I’m already falling
I’m already falling
Let’s just see
Let’s take our time
Take in these moments
Take this ride
Where it leads
Started with my eager eyes
Thought I must’ve been foolishly hoping
When I saw it in your smile
Your smile
Your smile
Meet Me In Montauk 
Having heard “Eager Eyes” performed acoustically many times before the studio version was recorded, I found the metamorphosis of the song, particularly the bridge going into the guitar solo, truly exhilarating.
I also want to give a shout out to my uber-talented daughter who created the artwork for the single as well as the EP cover. So proud of my talented kids!
This one’s my favorite on the EP – absolutely love the production and have been a fan of the song for some time. 🙂
You know it’s serious when you wanna hear someone’s take on “The Bachelor” 😛
Even though this is the second EP that I worked with Lucas, my producer, on this is actually the first song we ever worked on together! In the summer of 2022, I came to him with this track because I was so excited about the chord progression and felt proudest about its potential. We started recording guitar parts, bass, and drums all in that summer at that time for no project in particular.
When we got back into the studio to start recording this EP, I wanted to put “Eager Eyes” back on the drawing board. It was so fascinating to hear how Lucas’s production skills had evolved since 2022 but also quite heartening for us to discover that we actually really liked what we were doing back then when we were just “fooling around”! We kept the original drums laid down by Mack Tracy and some of the electric guitar parts.
They served as a great foundation upon which we recorded pretty much everything else newly such as the vocals, soaring guitar solo, and even subtle flute in the chorus! This feels like a signature song to me as it speaks to some of the things I most pride myself on such as blending genres, specificity in lyrics, and dynamic shifts. It felt like a perfect middle point to blend the more folk leaning rest of the EP with some of the funkier moments like “Just Say”!
Another great one and I also love the soaring guitar solo ❤️