In a world that seems to be slowly suffocating in slick pop and programmed hooks, Eckberg's new single "Wanting" stretches its wings from the opening chords with a grunge-soaked rawness that does not so much feel as sound both retro and oddly now. That song demands your attention, rattles your soul, and leaves you with more questions than answers.
Grounded in the spirit of '90s alternative rock but honed with a modern edge, "Wanting" is a stand-off with ourselves, the system, and the fantasy of success. Eckberg's gravel-etched vocals crest through waves of distorted guitars and pounding drums, sketching a musical portrait of longing at once worldly and intimate. There's an urgency to the track that seems to be clawing through the speakers, wanting to get out. "Wanting" is a combat wrapped in a hard rock anthem. It asks that question while examining the constant tension between what we desire and the internal and external forces that prevent us from having it.
Dan Eckberg, a self-producing mobile music maker from the greater Chicagoland area, is making proclamations. Eckberg has been creating a spot for himself in the indie world since 2020 by blending rock, pop, folk, electronic, and hip-hop. With "Wanting," he hearkens back to his grunge and complex rock origins, but with the accumulated lessons and textures along the way.
The track is not concerned with commercial viability or radio-friendliness, which is precisely why it works. Gritty, defiant, and unapologetically introspective, "Wanting" is gripping. It's for everyone who's ever felt caught between ambition and exhaustion, for whom the price of their dreams has been debated, or who has been told to know their place.
Discover Dan Eckberg on Instagram