Our obsession with Eye of TJ seems to grow with every listen. We last featured the rising artist for his anthemic and assertive single, What Love Should Be, so when he offered us a preview of his upcoming release, Headlights in the Drive, we were ecstatic and grateful for the chance to share our thoughts on the track before its official release next Tuesday, May 12!
Headlights in the Drive opens with a meditative riser and a dimensional electric guitar performance, we are immediately in awe of the high emotional quotient and the narrative-driven prose. Eye of TJ shares the words, “It’s a Friday night, me and some friends just killing time, cold beers sweating in our hands, hanging by the poolside under the porch light, nothing playing but old country songs, laughing loud yeah everything’s fine, but I smile, but it don’t last long, cos something missing when the sun goes down…”
We can picture this in a film like Marty Supreme, or perhaps an episode of Euphoria where Nate is thinking about Cassie. The production is exquisite as always, in line with the technology used to create the track. The vocals are deeply human, brimful of raw emotion as the track builds with the realization that Eye of TJ shares how much he misses his muse.
The lyrics are so cinematic and this is further brought to life with an incredible video that paints a super vivid picture of the song. The giant full moon visual is sublime, and it feels like an iconic 90s movie or an episode of Smallville. The anthemic finale is awe-inspiring, with epic guitars and a soft piano bridge which precedes it, tapping into the vulnerability that the track exudes.
Eye of TJ poignantly confesses, “This track is about the quiet hours after the Friday night lights fade. It’s about the moments where absence feels louder than the music, and the beer isn’t strong enough to leave the memory behind.”
Needless to say, we continue to be blown away by the sonic and visual universe that Eye of TJ is creating, and how clear it is that the artist is truly making songs that he genuinely loves. We will be adding Headlights in the Drive to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist on May 12th, and in the meantime, we continue to stream Eye of TJ‘s exquisite, growing discography, including In This World, and What Love Should Be, and await TJ’s upcoming 5-song EP, Knowing the Risk, scheduled for release on June 12th!
Pre-save Headlights in the Drive here.