Indie-folk artist Dylan MacDonald embodies the DIY spirit under the moniker Field Guide. Working out of his home studio (and sometimes his kitchen) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he crafted part of Field Guide’s third full-length album, Rootin’ For Ya. The album features warm, dreamy, yet hauntingly spare songs, built from the ground up using drum machines, Yamaha synthesizers from the ’80s, mesmerizing sing-speak vocals, and an unwavering dedication to solo production.
However, collaboration breathes life into other tracks on the album. Songs like the early single “Style” are enlivened by bass, synths, and percussion, making them perfect for a lively Summerfest Saturday afternoon.
MacDonald shared on Instagram in March, when he released the title track as a digital single, “This is the first release that I’ve recorded in its entirety. One-third of the record was done that way, at home. Another one-third was done with my best pal and longtime collaborator Kris Ulrich alongside my absolute fav [drummer] Julian Psihogios—all live off the floor. The rest of the record was done at my old faithful Vancouver haunt, Monarch Studios.”
Rootin’ For Ya arrives two years after his moody, textured self-titled record, which Atwood Magazine described as “an unapologetically visceral, whirlwind journey through [MacDonald’s] mind’s eye … inviting us into an inner sanctum that has known loneliness and isolation, but nevertheless burns bright with a sincere, genuine appreciation for love, intimacy, and human connection.”
Prior to that, 2021’s Make Peace with That introduced Field Guide as a creator of “a chimerical, dreamlike soundscape, brought to life by his soft-spoken lyrical imaginings,” as noted by Under the Radar. While delicate threads connect all three albums, Rootin’ For Ya stands out as Field Guide’s most accessible work to date. – Jason Felton