State of Sound Staff | Founder, Editor & Contributor: David Rea — State of Sound | The New Independent Voice of Music

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David Rea

David Rea is the founder, editor and one of the principal contributors to State of Sound. A journalist with a particular interest in music’s connections to culture, history and politics, David is also a fiction writer, whose short fiction has been published in the Fortnightly Review and long-listed for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

BOB DYLAN

DYLAN AT THE CROSSROADS: How Bob Dylan's first single almost changed everything

Dylan's latest Bootleg Series instalment, Through the Open Window, traces his arc from teenage rock 'n' roller to folk star. But had his first single ‘Mixed-Up Confusion’ been a hit, things could have been very different. David Rea tells the story of what might have been.

by David Rea

22 November 2025

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OPINION

THE REMAKING OF NICK DRAKE: Is the complex artist finally stepping out from behind the ‘doomed genius’?

The new box set The Making of Five Leaves Left illuminates a focused and forthright artist at his genesis, and further undermines the idea he was an isolated, haunted romantic.

by David Rea

25 October 2025

A young man with shoulder-length wavy hair stands against a brick wall, wearing a dark blazer and light-colored shirt.

ESSAY

‘The Sixties are our heritage’: How the Jam invented Britpop’s ethos

Critics couldn't take the Jam seriously at first, claiming they were just a bunch of gimmicks. But their ‘hail your heroes’ ethos was entirely authentic, setting the blueprint for Britpop two decades later.

by David Rea

20 September 2025

Three young men sit at a diner table drinking coffee, with condiments and dishes on the table, in front of a white paneled wall with a large window and potted plant.

MAKING A MASTERPIECE

‘It took a unique kind of courage’: how Son House beat the odds to make a masterpiece

On the 60th anniversary of its original release, we look at how Son House made Father of Folk Blues for white America.

By David Rea

18 October 2025

Album cover titled "Son House: The Legendary Father of Folk Blues" featuring a photograph of an elderly man with braided hair playing a metal-bodied acoustic guitar, dressed in a white shirt with a black ribbon tie.

THE BIG IDEA

How Taylor Swift can save the music industry

With the imminent release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift is poised to become bigger than ever. Meanwhile the music industry is in existential crisis. Can all-conquering Miss Americana do something about it?

by David Rea

13 September 2025

A young woman performing on stage, wearing a black crop top and high-waisted shorts, holding a microphone, with her arm extended outward.

Born to Run: Could Springsteen run for president in 2028?

THE BIG IDEA

In the age of celebrity politicians, is Bruce Springsteen better placed than Reagan, Schwarzenegger and Trump to run for office?

by David Rea

6 September 2024