Concluding my look at Just Daniel, the new EP by singer-songwriter Daniel Gallup…
The EP began with ‘Just Say’ and it ends with ‘Just Gray,’ a nice bit of symmetry that is reflected in the collection’s title. And while the opener was a jaunty portrait of young lust, the closer is more somber and contemplative.
Daniel is a political science major who now makes a living performing music, so it’s not hard to decipher the first lines of the chorus: “When LA is the clouds and DC is the ground you land somewhere in between.” This song suggests you shouldn’t lose yourself in pursuit of your dreams, but that those dreams are still worth pursuing.
Another verse reads to me like a comment on our current political climate: “Lately everyone’s been acting righteous when they’re wrong, it makes the truly decent wonder where they belong.” I know recent headlines, and the reactions of way too many people on social media, have me feeling that way. But Daniel also acknowledges that things aren’t necessarily so simple.
I like that embrace of life’s complexity, and the nuance it brings to Daniel’s evolving songwriting. It’s been a pleasure to see his growth, both as a loving uncle and a music fan.
This EP is his most confident and mature work yet, and I’m so excited to see what comes next.
Where I always lose my sweater
I’m not quite sure what that means
But then again
I could stop trying to find meaning in everything
Lately I’ve been thinking that karma just ain’t real
And I could be an honest person
And the truth would hurt me still
But then again
I’m so tired of fighting just to feel fulfilled
When LA is the clouds and DC is the ground
You land somewhere in between
You search for something so profound
And then you look around
And you find you’ve got all that you need
It’s not just winning and losing
It’s loving and choosing
But you know you’ll be ok
We don’t live in black and white
Often times you’ll find
It’s just gray
It’s just gray
Lately I’ve been stopping at all these yellow lights
I used to rush right through them
I guess that’s a sign
But then again
I had so much more I was trying to prove then
Lately everyone’s been acting righteous when they’re wrong
It makes the truly decent wonder where they belong
But then again
It’s only so clear-cut in a song
When LA is the clouds and DC is the ground
You land somewhere in between
You search for something so profound
And then you look around
And you find you’ve got all that you need
It’s not just winning and losing
It’s loving and choosing
But you know you’ll be ok
We don’t live in black and white
Often times you’ll find
It’s just gray
Just gray
It’s not just winning and losing
It’s loving and choosing to go
But you know you’ll be ok
We don’t live in black and white
Often times you’ll find
It’s just gray
It’s just gray
Meet Me In Montauk 
When Daniel graduated from college, he was considering going to law school and becoming a lawyer. As someone who did not pursue a music career and instead traveled the path he was contemplating, I strongly encouraged Daniel to pursue his passion and give music a chance. If he couldn’t earn a living playing music, he could always go to a Plan B.
I am so happy he chose the “clouds” over the “ground” and so proud of him. As his loving father, I too look forward to what comes next….
I so appreciate you taking the time to review this EP and all your kind words. I hope with every work I create I’m improving, but it is a true gift to just be able to share these songs that I wrote in my room with an acoustic guitar on streaming services to potentially be heard worldwide. There’s a lot to be said about the accessibility to releasing music and how so many more artists makes it difficult to cut through, but there’s no denying how special it feels to scroll through my Apple Music and see my name alongside artists I admire and respect. I feel proud to add this EP to my discography.
You hit the nail right on the head with your interpretation of this one! I suppose if you know of my Political Science degree it’s not too hard to figure out 😛 With all my songs I find it’s a difficult balancing act of sharing the specificity and ensuring that a larger audience can resonate with your work. What I’ve found is that sometimes the more specific can mean more to more people and when I’ve tried to write a song so generalized it could be about anybody or anything, well the song’s just not that good.
I love that this EP crosses genre and subject matter and though my dad jokingly threw out the title ‘Just Daniel’ when it felt like there was really no way around having two songs on the EP with “just” in the title – it feels quite fitting. Having a “jaunty portrait of young lust” as the opener and a “somber and contemplative” closer is just Daniel!
I’m grateful to be featured again on my favorite music blog from my incredibly talented Uncle who’s opinion I value quite highly. Looking back at your coverage on my first EP, I do feel a little bummed that you didn’t provide a ranking this time around! I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on or off the blog in that matter!
I look forward to the other reviews on new music. Especially the Jason Isbell album, a touchstone artist for me songwriting wise. 🙂
Thanks for adding your “artist’s insight” to these posts!
OK, since you asked, here’s my quick ranking of the EP’s songs, with the disclaimer that I really like them all!
Hahaha I just realized, the story I told on “Somewhere in August” post belongs to “Just Gray!” But I love both songs.
I rep “Eager Eyes” and “Just Gray” as two of my favorites from this EP, but I’m a fan of the whole thing.
Such great blog coverage and discussion. I can’t wait for what’s next from this artist 🙂
This was such a wonderful treat for me to actually read and hear these great songs at the same time. Loved it. Thanks for sharing these songs Clay and thanks for creating them Daniel. ❤️❤️