Dylan Gossett's “Coal” Is A Viral Hit – Just Played It Live For The First Time With A Band

Even in the country in the current era of overnight hits and viral sensations, Dylan Gossett stands out.

Just a year ago, the Austin, Texas native was working a day job and experimenting with publishing his music online on a whim. Fueled by the success of his debut, “To Be Free,” which has garnered more than 3 million streams on Spotify, and his debut, “Coal,” Gossett seems like he can do no wrong right now. It's early in his first No Better Time tour, which this week included sold-out shows in St. Paul, Minnesota and Chicago with support from Ole 60, another band in the midst of an unexpected rise to the stratosphere.

Now, Gossett – who turned 25 earlier this month – is working to build a catalog to match his growing popularity. His second EP, four song Songs in the gravel, hits streaming platforms on Friday. The first single, “Somewhere Between”, is out on March 1st.

“I really wanted to make sure that this EP came out as soon as possible with this spring tour so that the fans would have more songs that they can recognize and enjoy,” says Gossett Rolling rock.

The EP, the songwriter's second since last fall There is no better timeis written entirely by Gossett, who says he was inspired by his formative years playing songs around a campfire at his grandfather's Lake Buchanan home near Burnet, Texas.

“Growing up there, I fell in love with music as my family and I would spend weekends and holidays sitting on the gravel around the fire playing songs — years before I ever dreamed of a music career,” he says. “I wanted to leave my audience in that world.”

Gossett chose a photo of one of these fires as the cover of the EP.

The collection mixes narrative and self-reflection, and Gossett delivers with authority in his voice. His vocals are classically raspy, but he has a range and confidence in his singing that slyly grabs the listener's attention.

Gossett is also touring with a band after a year solo. The Texas-based five-piece debuted this month during South by Southwest in Rolling rockThe Future of Music Showcase, held at ACL Live at the Moody Theater — It was Gossett's first time playing with a band.

When you sat by the fire and played songs, what kind of music did you play and what influenced you?
During Easter or Christmas, when the whole family is there, everyone sits around a fire and starts passing around the guitars. It's usually me, my brother and my cousin — we just sing songs with everyone singing along. This inspired the song “Bitter Winds”, which is a personal reflection on how quickly time flies. I even have a line in there where I say, “My feet are buried in the gravel.” This is very true for me. Having the title to be Songs in the graveland the cover is from there, it's super special.

You are releasing this EP ahead of an anticipated headlining tour as your fan base is expanding by the day. What do you hope spring and summer holds for your music?
I just hope we keep doing that. I try not to get too caught up in something like, “Am I making music that's going to go viral?” How we started this thing was that I make music that I really, really like, and that I really like. I think people can feel that, and in turn, they enjoy it too. I want to keep touring and I hope people keep showing up and enjoying the shows. That's the goal.”

What is the background to 'Finally Stop Dreaming'? It's such an eerie song.
It was really written as part narrative, part self-reflection. The thing is really, whenever I stop dreaming, or whenever I stop chasing whatever I want, I'm basically ready to go. It's about dreaming until the last second. And when I'm done dreaming, I'll leave without screaming and remember all the good times. It's a really good reflection, for me, on where I am in my life right now and how things are moving for us. Plus, my wife is with me every step of the way, and that helps fuel the fire for me.

Josh Kratsmer is a journalist and author of the book 2020 Red Dirt: Roots Music Born in Oklahoma, raised in Texas, at home anywhere and the 2023 book The Motel Cowboy Show: On the Trail of Mountain Music from Idaho to Texas, and the Side Roads in Between.