New Music Critique: Zachary Van Dyck

A pair of pop-rock tunes, “Promises” and “Last Night,” demonstrate that Zachary Van Dyck has a specific gift—he can write buoyant, relatable tunes that, with his convincing voice, can be delivered to a female audience hungry for male sensitivity. Van Dyck’s “Winter,” however, despite an artful use of autotune, is a less impressive, less assured veer-off into pop/r&b territory, with lyrics that dip into cliché. Pop-rock, with his melodies and deft transitions, is where Van Dyck seems most at home, where he achieves a vitality akin to All Time Low. Yes, this artist’s voice is not all that distinctive, but it rings with a natural appeal that suits the material. TV relationship dramas would be a good fit for these recordings.