Makin Waves Song of the Week: "All In My Head" by the dt's

By Bob Makin

originally published: 02/09/2024

“All in My Head,” the latest single by the Asbury Park duo the dt’s, is the Makin Waves Song of the Week. PHOTO BY SALVATORE ZEPPI RUBINETTI, ARTWORK BY JESSICA CONDON

“All In My Head” is the latest single from the dt’s, the Asbury Park-based duo of longtime collaborators David Cacciatore & Tom Losito.

The song’s heartfelt, self-doubting lyrics explore the challenges of forming genuine connections in today’s society. Disguised by a driving rhythmic section and layers of harmonic power pop, “All In My Head” is the Makin Waves Song of the Week.

“Lyrically, ‘All In My Head’ is about the anxieties of relationships,” the dt’s said. “But before the lyrics came the melody, originally a thought that had come to Dave. The melody that he was thinking of is the single-note guitar riff that you hear at the beginning of the song and is then reintroduced throughout. He always thought the melody was catchy, fun, and rhythmic, but he did nothing with it for quite some time.

“Once the pandemic hit, this was when we dove into songwriting,” they continued. “Revisiting ideas, Dave came back to the melody for ‘All In My Head.’

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“Going into the studio, we were not completely satisfied with the vocal melody, but we decided to record it anyway because we knew we felt strongly about the song. With the suggestion and encouragement of our good friend and producer, Joey Papa, Dave revisited the vocal melody of the song. With great tenacity, Dave kept working on the melody until he found something that he thought was a great fit for the song. When Dave brought the new vocal melody back to the studio, everyone agreed that we had finally found the vocal melody we were looking for. Once the melody was set, Tom added in vocal harmonies and different guitar chord voicing and riffs to round out that dt's pop sound we envisioned. The recording process for the song felt natural, yet experimental.

“We laid down the bass and drums during a live performance in the studio with Rob Jennings on bass, and Frank Lettieri on drums. Originally, Dave had the idea of starting the song with only keys, but hearing Rob’s thumping bass, and the groove that Frank was providing on the drums, we decided that starting the song with the keys, bass, and drums was best. We then later returned to Joey’s home studio to perfect the guitar tones and vocals. It was also during this time that we experimented with synth sounds.

“During the choruses, we have a high-frequency synth going on in the background to give the song a lift. During the second verse, Joey added a cool R2D2-type sound that adds a new feel to the song. During the bridge, Dave suggested that we add snaps in the beginning, reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys. Later on in the bridge, Joey darkened the drums, which added to the pop element we were chasing after. It was also during this part that we strived to add another synth part. With Dave being a kid in a candy store on the synth, and collaboration with Joey and Tom, the three of us were able to find a synth tone and melody that fit the ending of the bridge, leading into the final chorus. During the final chorus of the song, Dave knew that he wanted to add something interesting, and not just another guitar solo.

“We are both fans of Charlie Puth, so the idea of adding a ‘vocal solo’ or ‘call and response’ at the end came to him. With the encouragement and tweaking of Joey and Tom, Dave was able to record what they were hoping to achieve. All of this is supported with layers of guitars and vocal harmonies to give the song a full and round sound.

“Overall, we are proud of this one as it represents the first glimpse of that modern meets vintage pop sound we have showcased and collaborated on with our live band over the last year.”

The single follows the tune “Refresh” and debut EP “You With Me,” both of which came out in 2022.

Coming up for the dt’s are a music video, new merch and another single release. They also plan to head back into the studio for another batch of songs this year with their full five-piece band.

See the dt’s live Feb. 14, Lakehouse Live, Asbury Park; March 7, Crossroads Garwood, with Surfing For Daisy, Songbird and Gwynne Alden; March 13, Backstage, Hoboken; March 16, Lions Roar Brewing, Westfield, and March 27, The Break, Asbury Park.

For more, visit https://thedtsmusic.com/.

Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at [email protected].

About the author:

New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.

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