Acoustic guitar can take a song in plenty of directions. On “In your eyes”, out now through Now Listen, Dysmusia uses it as the starting point for something that feels earthy, lively and a little rough around the edges.
The Irish singer-songwriter pairs a dropped-tuned acoustic with a second guitar in standard tuning, and that combination is a big part of what makes the track work. The lower tuning brings some depth to the main guitar, while the second part opens up the arrangement and pushes the song further into indie-rock territory.
It is an interesting choice for a song built around such a personal subject. Dysmusia is writing about an old relationship and the possibility of getting back together, but the music keeps things moving rather than allowing the track to become too inward-looking.
The lyrics have plenty of detail to keep up with that pace. The opening finds Dysmusia drinking and wondering what his former partner might be doing, while later lines look back at how the relationship rose and fell. “Went from peaking to flatline” is a particularly memorable way of putting it.
There is also an ease to the performance that suits the writing. Dysmusia does not sound as though he is trying to turn every line into a big statement. Instead, the song has the feel of a story being worked through as it goes.
That balance between acoustic songwriting and a fuller guitar sound is what makes “In your eyes” stand out. The folk influence remains clear, but there is enough drive and grit in the arrangement to give the track its own lane.
