An artist’s followup to their debut release is often a daunting and telltale moment in their career. Hailing from the small town of Gate City, Virginia, 18 year old artist DNL has, once again, made his mark on the music world. Following up on his extraordinarily catchy debut single “ppl plsr,”  DNL is back even stronger with “Summertime.” Having been a massive fan of his debut back in April, I’ve been counting down the days to check out the direction DNL would take as he continued to release music. DNL lived up to and went far beyond my expectations with “Summertime.”

The track delivers memorable melodies and hooks, and highlights DNL’s addictive smooth vocals. Taking a much more pop-driven direction with “Summertime,”  it features bouncy, 80s-reminiscent synth chords, upbeat drums, and lyrics that left me hanging onto every word. With this single, DNL displays his versatility across genres in comparison to his previous release, but establishes his ability to make a song his own nevertheless.

“Summertime” is an unapologetic alternative pop hit and has unforgettable qualities that will guarantee listeners to revisit this track again and again. DNL is standing at the forefront of what undoubtedly is shaping up to be a remarkable career.

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