Dylan Forshner rocks his way through an existential crisis in his single What Am I Doing? — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
What Am I Doing? is Toronto singer-guitarist Forshner’s debut as a songwriter, delivered with the authentically raw trepidation of a musical caterpillar with the chops of a chrysalis ready to crack. Over a grungy riff with enough tempo to replicate the confusion of an occupied mind, Forshner repeatedly asks the most rhetorical of questions:
“What the fuck am I doing?
What the fuck am I doing?
Who told you I was OK?
I’m ‘bout to drink until we parlay.”
Forshner fashioned the song at 2 a.m., unable to sleep and working over lyrics and a chord progression he’d created. After three years of playing guitar covers, the musician was finally branching out into original songwriting, and the quintessential existential thought crossed his mind: What am I doing?
“This phrase captured not only how I felt in relation to that moment but how I was feeling emotionally at the time with various struggles in my life having me feeling overwhelmed,” Forshner said. “It encompasses the thought of not knowing what you’re doing contrasted with a sense of optimism to let go of that feeling of helplessness and power on.”
It’s an appropriate, honest open from someone who’s admittedly green. For most of his youth and young adulthood, Forshner was not playing guitar or writing songs — he was learning and earning in the black-and-white world of finance. But that left him unfulfilled, so he changed careers to find something less stressful, with a better work-life balance.
While on leave from work in 2019, the then-27 year old decided to pick up the guitar and was hooked. In late 2022, he did his first open mic, fighting through the nerves. One month later, a friend in the music scene set him up with his first gig. He admits he wasn’t ready, but he delivered anyway. “This felt like a turning point to push harder and harder to learn as much as I can and perform as much as I can,” Forshner said.
In May 2023, Forshner took his first stab at writing music, and everything took off from there. He’s since been steadily gigging, writing, and jamming with other musicians, his life completely alien to how it was just five years ago.
Though What Am I Doing? was released under Forshner’s name, it was a group effort, thanks to drummer Marcelo Maltez and guitarist Mark Sinclair of The Howlin Gales and bassist Cas Lucchetta of The Kaspers. “Without the help of my fellow musician friends in the Toronto music scene, I do not know how this would have ever seen the light of day,” Forshner explained. “I am eternally grateful for everyone who has shown support to keep on trucking as I venture into the journey of a songwriter.”
Check out What Am I Doing? above and below, and parlay with Dylan Forshner on his website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
