Modern pop is swarming with over-produced cookie-cutter sounds and to attempt to carve out a sound therein is a formidable task. That said, it doesn’t appear to deter the sounds of David D’Alessio one bit.

Pop by association, songwriter that happens to play to warm days, relationships, and memories in fruition, D’Alessio releases his sun-soaked latest single “Nowhere Else (I Wanna Be)” seemingly unphased.

Inspired by a melody written years ago, D’Alessio mixes memories and desire to get back to the freeing days of leisure by the beach fire pit in an incredibly catchy track that, whether you publicly accept it or not, you won’t be able to get out of your head for quite some time. The snappy summer tune carries cool while skirting a confusing line of pop. It feels like it should be too poppy but doesn’t go full-fledged canned pop and ultimately settles nicely into the summer playlist lineup with ease. Attributable to his musicianship D’Alessio captures precisely what we expect summer to feel like and packages it into three-and-a-half minutes of sunshine and smiles. The vibes of good friends and good memories bleed out of breakdowns and chorus. David D’Alessio is a legitimate songwriter soaking up pop vibes that has crafted a single that inspires us all to slow things down a little. He delicately sidesteps tropes to genuinely craft his sound.

Against a wall of pop, D’Alessio’s latest fits in pop because there’s probably nowhere else it could be categorized. But isolating it to such is like calling all beaches the same. If “Nowhere Else (I Wanna Be)” doesn’t make you feel good, you’re taking life to seriously and perhaps you should consider where you want to be, maybe take David D’Alessio with you.