Jean Dawson broke into the experimental post rock/hip hop/R&B scene in 2019 with “Bad Sports” and quickly gained attention from fans of similar creatives like “Choker,” “AG Club,” “Paris Texas” and “Teezo Touchdown.”
Dawson continued his stride with 2020’s “Pixel Bath,” boasting an A$AP Rocky feature and a revamped range of genres and instruments to experiment with. His development has been interesting, if not mildly predictable.
I was skeptical going into his brand new 2022 release “Chaos Now,” despite the three great feature credits (Isaiah Rashad, Earl Sweatshirt and George Clinton). I was worried I may have let my Jean Dawson era come and go, without fully taking the time to explore the world he decided to create with his music.
As it turns out, his music is still certainly up my alley, not to mention this is the best body of work I’ve heard from him yet. Dawson’s newest effort has very folky elements incorporated with his usual brash, artistic, free form song style.
There are moments where he decides to go full indie-anthem mode, and others where he revisits his hip hop influences, meshing into a warbling and distorted eruption of sound. He appears musically inspired here, like he’s excited to be making these tracks. As he seamlessly glides across soundscapes of bent genres and fragmented interlude, Dawson’s pen seems sharper than ever.
My concern going into this new album from Jean Dawson laid in the writing. I found the writing on “Pixel Bad” to be a bit weak at times, and the content in the songs a bit half-baked. Dawson seems to have flipped this issue on its head here on “Chaos Now.”
He ponders issues of identity and the weight on his shoulders. He goes off on tangents about anxiety and paranoia, as well as drug experimentation drawing parallels to observations of big pharma (see track 4, “Kids Eat Pills”). The lyrical content on this album does feel exceptionally sad, which could be part of the appeal to me. I prefer more thoughtful pieces of writing to be laid out at key moments in an album.
There should always be a sense of understanding or wonder that reveals itself to me throughout the course of an album, a brief moment of enlightenment that wraps the purpose and soul behind this music into one strong feeling. Art must have a purpose and intent, and I was made familiar with Dawson’s purpose with this album on track nine, “Porn Acting.”
This song details the identity confusion and mental turmoil Dawson goes through in a unique and observant fashion. The track feels like the perfect formula of sounds and experiences Dawson crafted to encapsulate the essence of himself for this project.
This new Jean Dawson album was a pleasant surprise for me, and it feels like a great fall album to listen to on a relaxing, cool day.
This year seems to be tossing out new and outstanding material in the music world every single week.
It is a good time to be a music lover and a good time to be a Jean Dawson fan. Give this album a spin next time you’ve got a free 38 minutes. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
