Zachary Mason takes a long, winding, and totally worth-it road trip through the surreal and sentimental with his dreamy new single, “Madness Gladness.” This track may have gone through three rounds of recording chaos since its 2021 inception, but what’s landed in 2025 is a hazy, heartfelt slice of dream-pop-meets-soft-rock gold. From the get-go, “Madness Gladness” pulls you into a soft vortex of shimmering guitar riffs and sparkly, effervescent drum taps that seem to glisten rather than hit. Zachary’s voice is rich and breathy in his head voice one, and it traverses gently, dipped into a gorgeously effortless deep register.
There’s something gorgeously disoriented about this track, like standing under fairy lights while the world spins just a little too fast. And while fans may have expected something more rock-heavy based on past teases, what Zachary delivers instead is a genre-blending gem. Folk rock and soft rock hang out in the background like supportive older cousins, but dream pop is definitely driving this bus—with Nate Barnes on the drums and John Thomasson (yes, from Little Big Town!) laying down that dreamy bass groove like it’s no big deal.
Mixed and mastered by Derrick Lin all the way in Hong Kong, “Madness Gladness” proves distance means nothing when the vibe is this dialed in. It’s romantic, a little loopy, and quietly epic—like a diary entry turned into a lullaby with stadium potential. If madness sounds this good, we’ll gladly take the gladness too.
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Review by: Naomi Joan