Dax has chosen clarity and that ability to evoke stillness in his latest single, "Man I Used To Be." This genre-blending artist returns with a fierce track that's an anthem-worthy alternative rock cut, laced with aural tinges of alt-pop and alternative dance, marking not only his return to music-making but also a personal milestone. Having sworn off alcohol for six months, Dax swore he would not release a single note of new music until his mind had completely detoxified. The result was the creative burst that erupted in the more focused "Man I Used To Be," featuring raw introspection and the rebuilding of an artist who has battled demons in the past.
The song showcases blue-eyed soul patches, bullet holes, and builds back up from nothing with spitfire defiance. The song rises like an electric surge of emotion, a rock at its core, and a movement within it builds from its alternative glance towards dance, refusing to rest forever. Yet beneath the instrumentation, the song's real weight comes from its emotional underbelly. It feels like Dax is drawing from all of his life experiences and knowledge here, almost as if he is shedding former versions of himself to reveal something more authentic. This is the soundtrack of a man with his back to the wall, staring at himself in the mirror and owning up to everything he has done. "Man I Used To Be" asks for responsibility, growth, and redemption.
Dax's voice is vocal, raw, and arresting, still carrying a hint of the openness required for you to step through his guard into his headspace, but with the strength that comes from self-exploration. This isn't to say he's come to boast of success or flaunt his four-eyed frames, but that he stands among the most complex characteristics to illustrate in today's music landscape: truth. Dax manages to clarify a wholesale lifestyle move, but indeed, it's a weapon shot out of the hip. If that is what sobriety sounds like, it essentially means Dax is stepping into his most potent era as an artist yet.
Discover Dax on Instagram