Atlas in Motion and dylxn’s new collaboration dropped on Wednesday, November 17th, and you should probably check it out. The single, “You Shouldn’t Be Here”, is a melancholy pop song about dissatisfaction; an incredibly relatable emotion. Whether it’s about past decisions, current relationships, or something else, everybody feels unsatisfied from time to time. The track explores the two artists’ current situations in life using heartfelt lyrics and catchy melodies to tell the story.

I sat down with them over FaceTime to get to know their background and learn more about the release. Right off the bat, I was impressed to learn that they live at opposite ends of the country. To be able to collaborate so effectively, I thought they HAD to be old friends or something. With dylxn in Wisconsin and Atlas In Motion in Alabama, they told me they had only met in person once. And all they did was grab lunch and shoot this song’s cover art. So needless to say, they were pretty used to seeing each other over FaceTime.

Both artists played a role in the production and vocals of the song, and both undoubtedly held their own. dylxn had the initial song idea, and after recording a rough demo, was tempted to keep it for himself. He knew the potential of the track though, and eventually listened to the old saying “two heads are better than one,” and brought Atlas on board.

Atlas In Motion, or as the DMV calls him, Jackson Scott, has been making music for about ten years. From a young age, he played piano and guitar, and eventually began making dubstep inspired songs of his own. In past years, he’s found a more mellow sound, which draws comparison to EDEN. His biggest release to date, “well known” featuring brakence and 50landing, is a dynamic track combining indie, pop, and a bit of grunge. Sitting at 1.2 million streams on Spotify, this 2020 hit gave him solid name recognition in the industry. Since then, he’s pumped out a number of successful collaborations and solo releases, boasting over 60,000 monthly listeners on Spotify alone.

dylxn, who’s real name is, you guessed it, Dylan, has not been releasing music for quite as long. Dylan Tautges has always been musically inclined, but didn’t start putting out songs until recently. His biggest musical influence was initially Jeremy Zucker, but he continues to evolve and let other genres influence his work. Until early 2021, he knew his music wasn’t ready for the world to see. However, now that he feels his music has turned a corner and is ready to be released, it’s only up from here.

Earlier in life, dylxn wasn’t able to put much time into music because he was busy going the ‘traditional route’. Tautges worked hard in school, studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduated, and got a great job. After all, why wouldn’t he? Now that he’s here though, he can’t help but feel like he’s meant for more. And that’s where this song came from.

The 23-year-old sat down and wrote the bones to this track wondering why he didn’t focus on music sooner. In its opening verse, he reflects on how, growing up, he was “always told that I was fine, doing everything right,” but never truly blazed a path of his own. He continues to wrestle with this idea of doing what people see as “right” versus doing what his heart tells him to do.

Atlas In Motion had plenty to say on the topic as well. He told me it wasn’t hard to connect with the song and write cohesive lyrics because he’s been struggling with the same emotion, but for another reason. He begins his verse by acknowledging “it’s hard to regret what worked, but something’s still weighing me down.” He talked about how he looks back on past songs and projects and can’t help but feel like he’s evolved beyond them. Like his new self and his new style don’t connect with his older work. In his verse, he candidly regrets that “what I want to be is lost in who you think I am.” 

Both artists feel they’re in transitionary periods. For dylxn, that transition is about hitting the gas and putting more energy into music. For Atlas, it’s about figuring out how to rebrand, how to give himself a fresh start in the eyes of listeners. At the end of the day, both artists are unsatisfied with a situation in their life, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 

Do you think Michael Jordan would have a shoe brand named after him if he had been “satisfied” after his first accomplishments? If he won an NBA championship or two and called it a day? No shot. His desire to further prove himself is what pushed him to be great. Being “unsatisfied” at times is the only reason anyone does anything noteworthy. Remember that next time you look in the mirror and think, “you shouldn’t be here.”

Dissatisfaction makes us do bigger, better things. Right now, dylxn and Atlas aren’t satisfied with where they’re at, and that’s what’s going to make them successful. They have the drive, now they just need to put in the work. This song was a giant leap in the right direction, and I’m excited to see what comes next for the two.

Stream “You Shouldn’t Be Here” below:

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