Within the hot synths, pulsing guitars, and dramatic drums on Brett Altman’s new dark pop song “Eye Mask,” there lies a heavy heart and a weary soul.
Stream: “Eye Mask” – Brett Altman
How could you know every part of me if you like being in the dark?
Within the hot synths, pulsing guitars, and dramatic drums on Brett Altman’s new dark pop single, there lies a heavy heart and a weary soul.
Altman is done playing games; he’s done wasting time and pretending everything’s okay when it’s not. Why go on feeling frustrated and alone in a bed made for two? Why keep the status quo when it’s not working for anyone? An emotionally-charged eruption of raw passion and emotional turmoil, “Eye Mask” is an urgent, aching call for connection in the darkness. The end looms in sight and there’s no turning back, but despite all the baggage, can two people still see each other for who they are, one last time?
Sleepless nights
A regular affair
When I’m by your side
Your cat is on my back
You’re oblivious to that
Burning hot
Tossing and turning
In your sheets they’re not
Making me feel like I’m at home
Obstructed your eyes stay closed
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Eye Mask,” the latest single taken off Brett Altman’s forthcoming sophomore album My Way Out (independently out May 2024). The follow-up to his 2022 debut LP Not Quite Love sees the New York City singer and songwriter, known for his sun-kissed sound and heart-on-sleeve lyrics, unpacking moments of revelry and reverie, heartache and pain –– all while consciously expanding his artistry to heights and depths it had never seen before. So if Not Quite Love saw him basking (to a degree) in the sunshine, consider My Way Out an album dwelling in the moonlight.
“Overall, this album was a step forward in the evolution of my sound,” Altman smiles. “My previous body of work is largely acoustic guitar driven. Leaning more in the folk direction. However, for this album, my producer (Colin Rowe) encouraged me to pick up the electric guitar and develop more of an indie rock sonic world.”
“Eye Mask” follows three previously released singles (“Conversation,” “Abundance,” and “My Way Out,”) and is by far the darkest moment on the new record, highlighting a bleak low point in a fractured relationship on thin ice. While his verses color in all the poignant details of a love gone sour, the pre-chorus and chorus find Altman calling out his partner directly, critiquing a willful ignorance or refusal to connect on that intimate, deeper level they once cherished and knew so well:
You go blind each night
When we’re lying in bed
Can’t find the light
When your sights been dimmed
Can you take it off
I want you to see me as I am
Eye masking…
“‘Eye Mask’ explores what it means to be with a partner who refuses to accept the real you,” Altman tells Atwood Magazine. “Instead of talking about it, they ignore the parts of you they don’t want to see. This song expresses my frustration with silently being at odds with someone towards the end of a relationship.”
“Colin Rowe and I wrote ‘Eye Mask,’ along with the rest of my second album My Way Out, over a short 14-day period in 2023. I hadn’t written songs in over six months following a break up, and Colin invited me into his studio to write without any pressure of creating for a release. What occurred was experimentation beyond my wildest dreams and led to this second album. ‘Eye Mask’ is the darkest song on the upcoming pop/dance album and felt like the biggest departure from my previous releases. We leaned into the cat theme on this song, as my ex’s cat was an integral part of our former relationship. Writing this song taught me about the importance of bringing up the big topics in a relationship sooner than later.”
Down my spine, giving me shivers
When we’re intertwined
We used to make love, eye to eye
Now your back’s to mine
Back’s to mine
You go blind each night
When we’re lying in bed
Can’t find the light
When your sights been dimmed
Can you take it off
I want you to see me as I am
Eye masking
Born out of the dissolution of Altman’s last relationship, “Eye Masking” is an intense musical inferno.
Smoldering, spirited, and relentless from end to end, the track heralds a new age for the artist as he leans more on the stylings of The Weeknd than John Mayer or Jason Mraz. Opening up and diving unapologetically into that dark space, Brett Altman finds a new kind of light – and he’s without a doubt harnessed it to the best of his abilities on “Eye Masking.”
Stream Altman’s new single exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and catch him at his New York City springtime residency at Pianos on April 11th and May 10th. My Way Out, his sophomore album, is set to release May 2024!
How could you know every part of me
If you like being in the dark…
How could you know every part of me
If you like being in the dark…
You go blind each night
When we’re lying in bed
Can’t find the light
When your sights been dimmed
Can you take it off
I want you to see me as I am
Eye masking
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Stream: “Eye Mask” – Brett Altman
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