Nathaniel Clark – A&E Editor

nuc5002@psu.edu 

On October 7, Mexican-American musician Jean Dawson returned to release his highly anticipated third studio album “CHAOS NOW*.” This album was released almost two years, 714 days to be exact, after Dawson’s breakthrough “PIXEL BATH.” Under his P+ label in conjunction with UMG, Dawson has been hyping up the release of this record since February with the release of its first single. The majority of “CHAOS NOW*” is produced by Dawson himself with minor assistance from experimental pop musician George Clanton. Similar to the production, Dawson performs mostly by himself; a verse from the enigmatic Earl Sweatshirt is the album’s only feature.

Falling in line with “PIXEL BATH,” “CHAOS” plays in the experimental hip-hop and indie rock mixture that Dawson has become known for but with a light variation. In essence, this new effort is much more rock than rap. While Dawson has a rap-like cadence throughout a variety of his verses, the choruses are much more anthemic than on “PIXEL BATH.” The whole energy of the record is much more ruckus. The project’s sound is encompassed perfectly by the album cover. The guitar-holding figure is very imposing behind the cloudy backdrop, yet they meld together perfectly. 

Throughout the album, I found myself either humming or singing along with Dawson. I noticed this with the first track “THREE HEADS*.” The track explodes onto the scene, going directly into the chorus. The song only slows for the verses to make the reintroduction of the chorus even more impactful. This leads directly into “GLORY*” which sets a surprising motif of acoustic instrumentation found in “CHAOS.” “KIDS EAT PILLS*” is filled with angst and rebellion exemplified by the chorus’ nostalgic-sounding bass riff and the overall feeling that the way of living discussed in the song is a nightmare. “POSITIVE ONE NEGATIVE ONE” carries this very horror-adjacent energy with its imposing and distorted guitars which tear through the track. 

“BAD FRUIT*” is a very interesting detour when compared to the rest of the album. With completely acoustic-based instrumentation equipped with violins, it makes it even more shocking that Earl Sweatshirt makes his album appearance on this track. Surprisingly, Earl’s iconic weary vocal tone works well in this more obtuse instrumental lane. “SCREW FACE*” is another detour with Dawson using a variety of spoken word samples to craft a soundscape interlude to separate parts of the song. 

“PORN ACTING*,” this record’s first single released back in February still holds its energy even in the album context. The juxtaposition between Dawson’s screaming and the whistling on the bridge creates a great parallel between the switching of acoustic and electric guitar. “BLACK MICHAEL JACKSON*” is George Clanton’s most noticeable contribution to “CHAOS.” While the song does fit on the record, the overall production is much more pop-oriented, fitting with the guest producer’s musical background. 

The album closes “PIRATE RADIO*,” one of the biggest musical left turns I have heard all year. The shocking Celtic influence on the instrumentation is something that I never expected to hear but works perfectly as Jean Dawson affirms his worth. 

“CHAOS NOW*” shows both the beauty and anger of Dawson in full effect. In less than 36 minutes, he shows the world why he still is a musical force not to be reckoned with.