Dan Layus dropped out of college in Greenville, Illinois, before the 2004 fall semester to move to San Diego with most of the members of his band Augustana. Their debut album All the Stars and Boulevards sold over 300,000 copies, and their hit song "Boston" helped pushed that album to platinum sales. The band's entire lineup changed around Layus as the only constant member, until 2013 when he moved to Nashville and found an immediate home in the songwriter community, penning songs for platinum country artists and pop artists alike.

Layus released his debut solo album, Dangerous Things, in October 2016 on the Plated Records/ADA label, recorded in Nashville at SouthxSea Studios with minimal production. The album was preceded by a single of the title track featuring Muscle Shoals mainstays Secret Sisters.

“I always knew this album was out there waiting, I just had to let it come to me,” says Layus. “That was the most challenging part of this record. It was three years of repeatedly realizing I was trying too hard to write a perfect song. It all started to make sense and feel good as soon as I stopped treating songwriting like it was songwriting. Somewhere along the way, I decided that if an idea was going to turn into a song on this album, then it had to be written organically and purely. It had to be an inspired moment that was unfolding melodically, musically and lyrically, all while making me feel something.”

“Subsequently, that's how I recorded the songs. I played the song live a few times in front of some microphones and, when I felt something real happen, we moved onto the next one. The songs and recordings on this album are inspired by other people’s stories and informed by my own experiences and I’ve never felt more proud or comfortable sharing an album as I feel with this one.”