Where do you draw the line between physical reality and the digital world? Is there really a difference between them? As these limits keep being redefined, blurred, and expanded, more artists reflect on that in their work. A great example is Tessa Dixson, who releases her new EP today, I thought I was dreaming but it was just a glitch. Through the six songs that make up the record, the artist explores the complexities of contemporary life including topics like mental health, setting boundaries, identity, self-discovery, and more.
The first single off of the EP was Heaven, which tackles the difficulties of dealing with the overload of information in today’s fast-paced world. Opening up about her mental health’s well-being, Dixson guides us through her personal journey of reconciling with nature after feeling a sense of disconnection, especially in lyrics like “I don’t find any excitement in anything / I’m drained / I’m so tired of the time / And I’ve lost myself.” After this realisation and listening to her exhausted mind and body, she finds a path worth following: “The ride is a delight / It’s all there to fantasise / There’s a pot of gold if you know how to follow the light.”
The second and last single she released, Way Back, is way more energetic in terms of production and melodies. It feels almost club oriented even though it speaks about rediscovering love and finding a fresh start. “Through your eyes I see clearly / Maybe I’m enough / Make me love all my seasons / Yeah you lift me up.” This sense of renewal is also a pillar in Just My Type, which speaks of empowerment, finding strength in oneself, being enough and setting yourself free. “You can’t save me / I don’t need love but changes / I’mma need a new vibration / I can be anything, I can do anything,” Dixson sings right off the bat.
With this new EP, the latest release after her 2022 record Unspoken, Tessa Dixson continues to explore honest and vulnerable songwriting, multi-layered production, and highly textures songs through different melodies and voice effects. If she speaks of the digital world in her words, so does she in the production, especially in the first two tracks, Shimmer and Highspeed Crash.
