James Wyatt Crosby

James Wyatt Crosby makes catchy, grand-scale dreampop songs with a lo-fi DIY ethos. The Cambridge, Ontario native lives in downtown Toronto amid a small mountain of musical instruments. “I have a pretty strange collection of instruments that I’ve borrowed, bought or that people have given to me as gifts. Right now, besides guitars, bass, drums and keyboards, I’ve got an autoharp, a theremin, a vibraphone, and a whole bunch of other strange little toys like mini steel drums, a melodica, toy pianos and stuff like that.” When asked to elaborate on his musical influences, Crosby rattles off a list of over 35 favourite artists “in no particular order.” It’s a rambling and diverse list that includes Iggy Pop, Katy Perry, John Maus and Dolly Parton. “My musical influences change all the time and I can usually find some element I like in most songs. But I’m usually drawn to music with some kind of pop-y melodic element, like some kind of singable quality.” “O.T.O.T.W.” is Crosby’s first single released under his real name, James Wyatt Crosby. The song’s lyrics, delivered over a happy melody and lush dreampop arrangements, drift back and forth between bliss and melancholy. “I wanted to make a song that explains the feeling of being in a really good place while knowing that it’s fleeting and things will ultimately change,” explains Crosby. “I was listening to The Smiths and Talking Heads a lot when I was writing and recording it. I feel those bands do a good job of making songs that are simultaneously happy and sad, and that’s kind of what I was going for.” (Facebook)