Seated on the bleachers, Stiles White seems like the typical high school senior. He eats the Prep entree, participates in AP US Government seminars, and relaxes on the senior patio. While he’s sitting through lectures like the rest of his classmates, his faint humming is more than a sign of intense focus. Student by day and musician by night, Stiles released his first album, Dyads, to the world this past December. 

Dyads is an exploration of Stiles’ creative mind and showcases his detailed songwriting, which perfectly introduces listeners to his music. In his bedroom, Stiles worked for a year and a half to craft his first release. When discussing the writing process, Stiles reflects on one of his biggest influences: the pandemic. “I felt like I wasn’t doing anything meaningful with my time,” he confesses. “I wanted by the end of high school to complete something that meant a lot to me.” Through these songs, Stiles was able to reflect on his own isolation experience and hopes that listeners will do the same. While experimenting with music software like GarageBand and Logic, his songwriting process remained authentic. “My process is me just messing around on the guitar,” Stiles describes. His lyrical talent shines through as he admits that he typically makes up lyrics on the go. Like any skilled musician, Stiles wasn’t afraid to scrap or rework songs until he was fully satisfied with their sound. Yet even this intricate year-and-a-half long process came with uncertainty. A month prior to the release, Stiles says he fell into “a crazy state of needing to perfect everything.” Regardless, Stiles finally put out the album after some anxiety and adjustments. 

Since being forced to play the guitar as a school requirement in 6th grade (“Rocketman” by Elton John being the first song he learned), his favorite musicians are a moody and introspective collage of artists including Radiohead and Pink Floyd. While working on Dyads, the influence of these musicians (and others such as Alex G and Elliot Smith) is evident, yet the sound is completely his own. 

“Evergreen” is a haunting song, where Stiles sings, “And it must have been the heat/’cause you ate that fruit so sweet/And you turned to me and said/’It tastes like gasoline.’” His voice echoes through the dark chords and leaves listeners with a feeling of hollow melancholy. Written in Santa Cruz, Stiles says the song “describes a guy whose lover is idealistic. She lives in a fantasy world when in reality the world is a much grimmer place.”

Of course, we are all wondering what’s next for Stiles Fraser White. Since the release of Dyads, he feels creatively drained to the point that he “can’t quite pick up a guitar.” Fortunately, Stiles sees himself slowly emerging from this creative standstill and is thinking about his next work. “This semester I want to make a shorter one or even collaborate with some kids from Prep.” No matter what happens in the future, fans and friends look forward to what Stiles creates next.