A songwriter with a gift for whimsical melodies, breezy productions, and introspective lyricism, Dakota Theim has been a mainstay on the Portland indie underground for years. His sound is largely inspired by the golden age of FM radio, laden with sunny harmonies and blissed-out guitars. With his latest releases, he is exploring new sonic territory while musing on relationships, identity, and aging, resulting in some of the most endearing songs of his career.
Dig into this jangly summer jam, “Wild Magnolias” from Theim. With tasteful spacing and dynamic build, Theim and his cohorts are on full display here with warm, tangible production, laced with playful vocal deliberation. Almost a Mac Demarco and Rundgren meets The Beatles mashup, Theim has a penchant for pop-inspired indie joy, and on “Wild Magnolias” he hits the nail on the head.
Theim has this to say about the song, “I wrote “Wild Magnolias” back in December while I was daydreaming about summertime. To me, the song expresses the feeling of being in a blissful state of reverie in the midst of a summer’s day. I guess you could say when I wrote it I was daydreaming about daydreaming. I recorded it in my home studio and took the opportunity to let myself go crazy with the production. I had a blast working on this one.”
