Track-by-Track: Dan Call Runs Down Each Track on His New Record ‘Spunk!’

Spunk is what Dan Call specializes in; and he proves it with his brand new record, Spunk!, released last month. This is Call’s sophomore album after his 2020 debut record, Intoxicating. This release has been much anticipated, and Call picks up where left off with Intoxicating. Spunk! consists of seven rousing, fast-moving, electronic pop tracks that are a testament to his influences. They are an innovative amalgamation of Top 40 pop, modern rock, and dance music. As compared to Intoxicating, Spunk! finds Call digging further into different musical styles. He shows fearlessness when venturing off into new sonic territory, and it’s now very much becoming a sound unique to him.

The release of Spunk! finds Call in a confident state of mind. He feels good about where he is musically and will showcase that through the rest of this year. He has a lot of touring and promotion planned for the rest of this year which will see him as active as he ever has been. Call is excited to see the reaction to his new material, and he should be. He has already garnered three Billboard Adult Top 40 Singles and three Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 20 Singles with his former band, The Villains.

Today, Call joins us for an exclusive track-by-track rundown of each song on Spunk!, explaining the origins behind these splendid tracks.

1. “Drug Like You”

“I co-wrote this with Grammy-winning songwriter Michael Jay (Kylie Minogue, Celine Dion, Top Gun soundtrack). Have been a fan of his work for a long time. My co-producer Ryan Snow came up with a slamming groove and the rest was written rather quickly. Wanted something upbeat, danceable, but still rocking… think we got it!”

2. “Iconic”

“This is another co-wrote with Michael Jay. It was originally intended as a duet, and the demo was recorded that way, featuring Nashville session singer Katie Ohh. Ran out of time trying to find a popular female pop artist to do it for the album, so it’s on Spunk! as a Dan Call solo track. Katie’s background vocals from the demo still got on there and still sound amazing!”

3. “Spunk!”

“‘Spunk!’ is a fictional drug, mass-produced and subtly forced on the world’s population by a government looking for total and final control. It’s marketed as a harmless mood builder but by the time you figure out what it really is, it’s too late. Fun, huh? So what music style should a pre-dystopian lyric be paired with? Disco, of course! Concept matches the product.”

4. “Something About You”

“The basic bed of music for this tune was sent to me by my co-producer Ryan awhile back to check out and at that time, was titled ‘Tropical.’ I immediately loved the vibe and groove, so much so that I wrote the lyrics and melodies for it very quickly. Come to find out, another artist he was producing had already nabbed the song! Long story short, they eventually decided not to use it and it came back to me. Funny how it works sometimes.”

5. “Should Have Known Better”

“I wanted to write a contemporary, my generation version of the classic hit ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come,’ recorded by Three Dog Night and written by the great Randy Newman. ‘Should Have Known Better’ is what came out. For the bass track, I used my 1973 Fender P-bass given to me by the original bass player for Sister Sledge! Fun song, timely, and one of my favourites on this record.”

Dan Call ‘Spunk!’ album artwork

6. “Only A Kiss Away”

“Jimmy (co-writer) brought me an idea he had recorded into his iPhone and suggested it having a James Bond film kind of vibe. You know, a dreamy orchestral type of tune. The lyric characters are secret agents in love with each other while navigating a dangerous professional mission. Their love and mission are ironically mirrors of each other.”

7. “Color Outside The Lines”

“‘Color Outside The Lines’ was released as a single a while back and did really well. Was in NYC at the time, watching a fascinating documentary on the origins of the popular kids show, Sesame Street. Somebody on the show said, ‘So color outside the lines’ and the light bulb went off, you know? Sat down at my studio desk and wrote majority of the lyrics right then.

“It’s about staying true to yourself and your individuality no matter what life throws at you. I wanted to include it on Spunk! as it was basically the starting point for the album and just made sense.”