“Dead Boy Walking” is Jack Drinker’s debut EP featuring six tracks, each telling a different story. This long time project took five years to complete, in which Jack poured his soul to showcase his creative talents to a broad audience.
This extended EP has various sounds, from ballad soundscapes to pop, which aligns with Jack’s desire to create exciting sounds that send messages to the listener through the music. Produced by Alyssa Wilkens, “Dead Boy Walking” is a testament to Jack’s creative prowess, proving his place in a world of musical artistry.
“Plane Ticket” opens this EP with a track laced with melancholy in Jack’s vocals. The strumming of guitars is prominent in the background of powerfully emotive vocals sung about longing for a lost lover, where even a “call” from him without a conversation is enough. The mixture of the lyrics and instrumentals proves Jack’s success in creating a track where we can feel his heartache.
“The Fast Life” follows the journey of a naive young adult falling prey to the manipulation of an older man; with a fast-paced track and infectious melody, this track hits the listener with an emotional punch. “Dead Boy Walking” is the title track of this EP, which showcases Jack’s vulnerable side with his mental health struggles and tarnished relationships.
“bad habits” is another track that displays the artist’s lyrical storytelling prowess, which explores Jack’s way of coping with heartbreak. The coping mechanism is “not the life” he wants, but the high of it masks his inner feelings like “putting gems on their eyes”. “ruins” blends an infectious heartfelt melody with Jack’s usual powerfully emotive vocals resulting in a track where we can feel the anguish of a lost young man battling between two conflicting thoughts; let go while knowing his worth, or lose himself while chasing after a love that does not want him back, resulting in him hurting others with his unhealed heart.
“The Cards” brings “Dead Boy Walking” to a close with another tear-jerker, a track expressing Jack’s anguish about losing his first love to “another blonde” and reminiscing his time with him while also longing for that love.
Jack Drinker has a gift for delivering emotionally impactful music, which is felt vividly throughout “Dead Boy Walking.”
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Review by Aria Cohen