Jean Dawson's Pixel Bath Is Some of the Most Fun I've Had With an Album in a Long Time

Several weeks ago, a great friend of mine and The Circuitry Might documentary director, German Lomeli, and I caught up over a tennis match. When we were talking about music, I told him about my end of the year list and asked what he had been listening to as of late. He recommended that I check out Jean Dawson's 2020 record, Pixel Bath. It was a title that instantly caught my attention, so I added the vibrantly colored cover art (pictured below) to my Apple Music library, where it sat dormant for awhile.

It wasn't until I started driving around for DoorDash that I really had the opportunity to listen to this project. Let me tell you, shuttling around people's orders all over the place has never been more fun. Pixel Bath just sort of puts you in a good mood whenever it's on. I've received many strange looks from other drivers on the road as I've grooved and danced to this like nobody's watching. It's infectious in all the right areas of the brain.

Pixel Bath feels like a 40 minute sugar rush. The iridescent fusions of indie, pop rock, bubblegum bass, hip/glitch hop, EDM, and a bunch of other genres all come together with a freaking chef's kiss here. Dawson is so aggressively rebellious sounding on almost every track that it will awake your inner teenage self, which appears to be his intent with this project. His delivery can best be characterized as powerful, raspy, and violently melodic. It's almost to the point where a Denzel Curry vocal sample on the track, "Pegasus" just sounds like Dawson again. Curry is a pretty accurate comparison for how Dawson approaches his vocals, but maybe with an occasional softer singing voice. I've also heard many other critics note the similarity that Dawson's music holds with the earlier days of Kevin Abstract with American Boyfriend (2016), and I can definitely see that, too.

Many of the tracks feature a jumpy guitar backing that works alongside glitchy synths and vintage instrumentation to create a bridge between old and new sounds. It seems like a total project of this generation and feels both futuristic and retro at the same time. Sure, it sounds like an homage to the music of yesterday's generation, but there is also this captivating present-day appeal to the recent trend of emo/trap rappers running rampant through the music industry. Fusing punk and contemporary rap into other genres isn't a new idea, but it's one that is executed in a supremely creative fashion on every minute of this album. Let's take a closer look at the track by track:

1. Devilish: This is the exact type of prodigious opening that most records need. Dawson comes down on a sky wire in diamond studded boots with a single spotlight on him and immediately commands the atmosphere of the track with his reverberating vocal melodies. Eventually, he unleashes one glittery wave of instrumentation after another and proceeds to brings the house down. Fantastic introduction.

2. Triple Double: As of right now, this is definitely my favorite song on the album. It's probably my favorite song I have heard all year, too. The jubilation that I experience when the chorus kicks in is such an "ooo" moment every time. This song is Dawson driving on all cylinders. Not to mention, there is a great A$AP Rocky feature that just fits like a glove and pushes the song to the ultimate level. This track is pure happiness. God, I hope it never gets old to me. It hasn't yet, and I'm already probably well past 100 streams of it. So much joy.

3. Shiner: An 80's sounding jam session that has all of the slick and shiny sheen you could ask for. It also has a booming chorus that could fire just about anybody up. I get ready to scream "The sharks in the water, please partner, watch your Prada. Hangin' on the left side, right side, give me all of that!" every time "Triple Double" ends.

4. Dummy: A smooth-sounding and glimmering track with wistful but still somewhat abrasive production. Dawson's pitched vocals just sort of glide around and sweep you up with the persistent percussion.

5. Bruiseboy: Another song that's impossible not to feel good listening to. It sounds like waking up in a dark room and opening the blinds to a beautiful summer's day. Either that, or floating up to the surface of a pool on a hot and sunny afternoon. Again, grade A music.

6. Pegasus: This one feels like Dawson is still trying to keep the party going after hours. The track is more grungier than others but still has this neat switch up at about the halfway point where everything slows down and the guitars come out. It's not my favorite track of the bunch, but it is enjoyable.

7. Poster Child: An interlude type of moment that also manages to bring some chaos. That's not to say that the ideas jam packed into this minute and a half collage aren't all pretty great, though. In that span, we go from soft nostalgic piano to a shouty and turbulent Dawson. It's a reminder that he's not taking any breaks on the genre-blending anytime soon.

8. 06 Burst: Oh, man. What a ride. This is one of those tracks I wish I could experience for the first time again. It made me do the Kanye on an airplane at one point and then the BIGQUINT stank face the next. It’s a laser light show in your ears and a nice change of pace, too. It’s a heel turn at exactly the right moment for me. This track coupled with poster child keeps a listener on their toes with a whole smorgasbord of sounds.

9. Starface*: Another contender for one of the best on the album. The subtle and almost cinematic progression helps to gather some emotional weight behind the lyrics about fear, anxiety, and the seductiveness of engaging in increasingly antisocial behavior. There is a beautiful harmony toward the end of the song that I just want to hear over and over. This is just an awesome effort overall.

10. Policia: Probably the noisiest track on the whole LP. As you can surmise from the title, it is an anti-police anthem that incorporates some Spanish verses and influence into the mix. Everything works well here. The song has these speaker-tearing guitars and blaring vocals that smash through everything. There's sheer angst at every turn.

11. Clear Bones: Dawson's singing is softer and more pillow-y here as he laments the idea of death in the context of his bubbly spirit and fleeting youth. Despite the bleaker subject matter, he goes about it in such an exuberant way. There are these bright and wiggly guitar leads that come out toward the back half of the song that give off so much warmth. Plus, the playful lyrics give off a confidence in the face of fading out of existence. I actually find it to be a fairly positive track when all is said and done.

12. Power Freaks: As the sun goes down, this feels like one last hoorah. It might be one of the more satisfying late-night anthems that I've heard in recent memory. The track's progression from a twinkly trance-like ballad to a garage crashing rager is just Jean Dawson pulling out the punches before the curtain closes.

13. Pyrotechnics: Any song that uses the "you ain't got the answers" clip as a sample is already a W in my book. I see what others say when they mention how this track just sort of drones on, but I don't mind it as much if you treat this outro for what it is. For me, the ending moments where every familiar aspect of the production drifts away into a cosmic, dreamy, and shimmering cyberspace is an extremely fitting ending to Pixel Bath.

I feel like I'm thirteen again when I listen to Pixel Bath, but in the best way possible. It's got this youthful energy to it that just makes you want to hop in a car with the top down and drive to Santa Cruz or something. At times, all of the different noises flying around in the tornado that is this album can seem a little all over the place, chaotically messy, and unpredictable, which is probably a fair criticism to make. That only seems bound to happen on most genre-blending and ambitious records that focus on such heavy combinations of sound. This is a challenge that I would put good money on Dawson facing again with the music that he puts together in his promising future. That is, if he continues to refine his approach in this direction.

This record is mostly all gas and no brakes. Occasionally, the abrasive cuts start to drown one another out as each song goes by. The loud raspiness of it all can admittedly get to you at times and more moderation to make the hard hitters hit harder would be a welcome addition. It's usually around "Pegasus" or "Policia" that I start to feel like I need to turn the volume down for a bit and let my ears breathe. It's hard to explain, but that's the best I can put it. Maybe it's the cynical adult in me, but an intermission or break within the driving get-up-and-go track list would have been welcome. The closest we get is "Poster Child," which just feels like a transition to the second part of the record. A few moments like that come and go a little too fast for me to get the most out of the album experience.

Still, the absolutely impeccable creativity, imagination, and vigorous pizzazz on this record will get me smiling like no other album does. You get the gist that Dawson still isn't in his final form here. This is one of the most promising releases from an artist that I have heard. I would immediately buy tickets to a show of his if I'm presented the opportunity.

Final Score: 8/10

If I were to add this to my 2020 list, I would likely place it in the spots around 2-3, but I'll make that decision as time goes on, though. Just know that I'm definitely adding Pixel Bath to that article at some point. If you haven't listened to it before reading this, OR want to listen to it again, follow any of the links below to do so. Also, check out Jean Dawson's other work. His music videos are nothing but more downright awesomeness, so you won't regret that decision.

Listen to Pixel Bath on:

Apple Music

Spotify

YouTube

Go visit:

Jean Dawson's Website

Jean Dawson's Instagram