Every year in spring I watch how new names appear on the musical Olympus, tremulously, like the first snowdrops in the forest breaking through the thickness of habitual radio noise. But if most of these “flowers” wither faster than their first tour ends, then Jessie Altman definitely plans to stay for a long time. Her new EP “Sleepwalking”, the release of which took place on March 6, is a conscious walk through the backstreets of the human subconscious. For about a year Jessie kept it a secret and finally has now shared it.
Photo: Morgan Stewart
Known for her stylish and sensual pop sound and intimate lyrical perspective, Altman has bet on naturalness. The release has four songs that gracefully reveal the themes of illusion and reality in complex life situations. The title “Sleepwalking” most likely serves not as a metaphor but as a password for the whole EP. Altman, in collaboration with producer Jason Lehning and mixer Craig Alvin, has created a mini-album where the songs are scenes from a film about life in a dream. Altman admits that she wanted the EP to sound “without pauses between tracks.” She says: “In this project I wanted to explore the idea of illusion and how it can simultaneously protect us and seduce us.” And she succeeded, the songs flow into each other as naturally as thoughts in a half-dream.
The title track opens the EP with slow soft synthesizer breathing and gradually developing a determined musical theme: smooth keys, a light rhythm, a bit of guitar. Half-sleep is a state when a person functions quite normally but inwardly understands that they act out of habit. The song is about the “somnambulism” of adult life: work, meetings, conversations – everything happens on schedule, and the moment of real awakening is constantly postponed. The intonation is surprisingly calm. Instead of a dramatic crisis – a quiet confession: yes, we sometimes live mechanically. And, possibly, even for too long. Over the past years Altman has turned into a songwriter whose work touches on themes of insecurity, self-perception, and the contradiction between external impeccability and inner doubts. And the single “Mirror Mirror” reflects on distortions of self-perception in the era of filters and digital illusions. “Mirror Mirror” is perhaps the most “radio-format” moment of the release. With a hint of mid-2000s indie pop, but with a sound cleaned to cinematic transparency. The song lacks no elegance and it looks quite worthy on the EP. Its strength is in controlled vulnerability: Jessie knows that she is sleeping and even in her sleep knows how to tell stories. Sometimes with self-irony. In “Mirror Mirror” there is a line about a mirror that lies better than some people – and this is a typical signature device of Altman: a sharp phrase in a silk sound frame.
Photo: Max Botticelli
And for those who love to be enchanted I recommend paying attention to “Trick of the Light”. In the drawn-out and precise vocal sections Altman sounds like a storyteller who smiles even when speaking about self-deception. The tempo is slow, there are few instruments, and the voice finds itself in the center of attention. The song is built around the metaphor of an optical illusion – that is, a trick of light that makes you see what in fact is not there. Altman transfers this idea to relationships: sometimes people do not so much deceive each other as voluntarily accept a convenient version of what is happening. Musically the track supports this thought – a lot of air, soft keys, rare guitar strokes. Everything sounds fragile and vulnerable. Combining vulnerability with sophistication, “Trick of the Light” is distinguished by a captivating sound that music lovers will duly appreciate.
And in conclusion – “Hypnotic”, a track that leads into a hypnotic kind of dream. And yes, it is precisely here that the production works like hypnosis – thanks to the warmth of analog instruments and smooth transitions between layers of sound. A distinct pop groove appears, the melody moves confidently and even danceably. But behind the lightness there is a hidden illusion, only now it attracts.
After her debut album “Aftermath,” which received recognition, the new EP “Sleepwalking” by Jessie Altman demonstrates growing artistic depth and emotional nuances. The four tracks of the EP are united by the mood of soft morning light. The singer does not moralize, does not call for “awakening” in the name of something great; she has caught the moment between illusion and consciousness and has managed to distinguish feigned clarity and sincere bewilderment. The EP is for those who are finally ready to open their eyes and see reality in all its complex beauty.
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