D. Cullen – Young Men (2025)
Eagerly exploring adulthood in the 21st century, although many of the issues are timeless, singer-songwriter D. Cullen uses personal experiences, observations, and explorations to create cathartic melodies to enjoy, relate to, and find some comfort. Today, we take a headfirst leap into his new single ‘Young Men’. Join us, won’t you?
While the critically acclaimed single ‘Where Did You Go?’ was the mission statement for D. Cullen’s upcoming second album (set for release later this year), ‘Young Men’ is the pivotal point prodding us further into his new chapter for 2025. Recorded and produced with Paul Jarvis, Oisin Murray (additional engineering), Chris Pepper (mixing), and James Darkin (mastering), ‘Young Men’ washes old-school alternative rock with shimmering synth-driven indie-pop, so it’s like walking through a dark sonic forest with twinkling fairy dust glittering in the hazy sonic fog.
Sophisticated and brimming with maturity, ‘Young Men’ is another pitch-perfect, radio-ready, festival-made single; however, in its elegance, there is a lingering sense of vulnerability beneath. Sauntering through a harmonic combination of synths, electric guitars, bold bass and drums, D. Cullen’s rich vocals intricately prompt a confident aura, but simultaneously execute a heartfelt fragility.
Melodically, ‘Young Men’ has a calming, soothing, gentle, laidback sensation; however, there is a juxtaposition between the poignant theme and charming tone. D. Cullen explains:
“From my earliest days in an all-boys school in Dublin, I’ve never really felt at home in heavily masculine/laddy circles… in the wake of the last few years where movements like “the Manosphere” and figures such as Andrew Tate and Joe Rogan have taken more of a hold on the culture, I’ve become more and more concerned and distressed with how unpleasant certain men’s behaviour can be. At the same time, there’s a growing sense that a lot of men are using these behaviours to hide behind while they deal with some seriously heavy struggles. This song tries to address both issues by both prodding at some of the more distasteful elements of “lad culture” and also shining a light on the vulnerability behind… that bravado…”
In addition to the single, D. Cullen released an official music video for ‘Young Men’. You can view the video below and/or on his YouTube channel.
Find out more about D. Cullen on his official website, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
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