Dylan Gossett – Westward
From the quiet of a bedroom in Austin to international stages, Dylan Gossett’s meteoric rise feels both unlikely and inevitable. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter has spent the past two years drawing global audiences into his deeply personal world, and now, on his debut full-length album Westward, he offers his most expansive, heartfelt work to date.
Entirely self-written and self-produced, Westward is the kind of debut that doesn’t try to shout, instead, it lingers, aches, and ultimately finds strength in restraint. Across 17 tracks, Gossett filters stories of heartbreak, healing, family, and faith through a lens that’s unmistakably his.
The album opens with Lord Will You Carry Me, a plaintive prayer wrapped in acoustic strums that set the tone for what’s to come. There’s a tenderness in Gossett’s voice that recalls early Ed Sheeran and the emotional immediacy of Zach Bryan. On tracks like Back 40 and Sweet Lady, he leans into nostalgia and romance without ever veering into sentimentality. Adeline is playful and sharp, while Tree Birds carries the kind of quiet intimacy that makes you feel like you’re sitting in the heart of Texas.
Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without Coal, his breakout viral hit that transformed him from internet sensation to Platinum-certified artist. Placed towards the end of the tracklist, it lands as both a career milestone and an emotional centerpiece. Stripped of viral momentum, the song still cuts deep, remaining a testament to its staying power in the music sphere.
While Westward doesn’t reinvent the genre, it does something more difficult: it builds trust. Gossett’s greatest strength lies not just in his ability to write a good hook, but in his willingness to show you the cracks. There are moments, like the confessional Baptised by Rain or the evocative American Trail, where his storytelling feels cinematic in scope, yet grounded in the same emotional truth that made his earliest demos so compelling.
If the middle stretch of the album occasionally dips in tempo, it never loses its sense of direction. Every track serves the larger journey, tracing a line from youthful doubt to a kind of quiet conviction.
Following two acclaimed EPs (No Better Time and Songs in the Gravel), Gossett’s debut album proves that his early promise was no fluke. He’s already played the world’s biggest stages supporting Morgan Wallen, joining Noah Kahan in Australia, selling out his first headline tours, and gracing the lineups of CMA Fest and Stagecoach, but Westward suggests that his most powerful work still lies ahead.
Rooted in the spirit of folk and country but reaching beyond genre, Westward is a confident and deeply human debut. Dylan Gossett may have started in a bedroom with GarageBand, but with this record, he’s carved out something bigger for himself and country music as a whole.
Kirst Hubbard
Photo: Courtesy of Dylan Gossett
Westward is released on 18th July 2025. For further information or to order the album, visit Dylan Gossett’s website here.
Watch the video for Coal here:
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