Premiere: Jacob Dixon bares his raw ‘Lionheart’ on new EP

Jacob Dixon struggles to hold onto his innocence. When we move from youth to adulthood, society demands we tuck away our child-like wonder and opt for business suits, a sterner, less frivolous demeanor, and a grueling 9 to 5 routine. “I want to live like the kid in me,” folk-rock singer-songwriter waves his white flag on the heavenly urgent “Slip,” off his brand new EP, Lionheart, premiering today in-full on B-Sides & Badlands. Later, his ache for the life he feels so destined to enjoy spills into one of the year’s finest vocal performances: “How many years will it take till I’m living like my heart wants to live?”

Raleigh-based, Dixon pulverizes the heart with forlorn and hyper-poetic songwriting. It all sprouts from his very real, universal dalliance with life ⏤ and he captures the raging emotional waters with pointed care. “There is an obvious pressure of making enough money to live as an adult, but there are also social pressures to stay in your lane and not try anything different,” he writes over email. “But then in those moments when you do experience that child-like wonder, it reminds you that it’s worth it to try and live a life true to your kid-self.”

“Never both with computer screens / Just living like we’re meant to,” he later offers in “Slip,” the set’s most vulnerably electric moment. While enduring the constant push and pull, his mind often fades into thoughts of the future, sometimes at the expense of living in the moment. “[I’m] trying to not let it dominate my thoughts. Especially now, we just don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring,” he says. “As much as I can be thankful and cherish the seemingly mundane and little moments, the better.”

EP opener “Fountain” scalds the backbone with a dirtier rock overtone, Dixon’s voice still feathered and light enough to withstand the musical firestorm. “The sun keeps pulling back again / Singing just to let me in,” he smacks his jaws with a startling grip. “I find myself not owning up or taking responsibility for choices I make,” he notes of the song’s core vibrations. “For some reason, it’s easy for me to subconsciously blame others for something I’ve chosen or blame things on my circumstances.”

He adds, “That kind of thinking can block out others that think or act differently than myself. It’s something I strive to improve upon.”

“Find My Place” yanks the reigns and continues threading in strands of his indie-rock influences, from Mumford & Sons to Noah Gundersen, and perhaps his vocal, too, is more muted and coolly lit. “I hope that I can find my place someday,” he chirps. Such angst is the bedrock of wading through your 20s, and for Dixon, he finds the greatest tussles coming from “those small, every day choices that get us closer to where we want to be,” he offers. “It would be easy to let that drive fade away over a long period of time.”

His drive revs up more and more these days. The balancing act of creative pursuits and paying bills has come fairly smoothly so far. “Thankfully, it hasn’t been a major struggle like it is for a lot of people. I have been fortunate to have different jobs throughout my life,” he says. “But having the energy and drive to still pursue passions is harder after a long day of work at another job. I’m still trying to find the balance of being thankful to have a job in the first place and pursuing other things I might be more passionate about.”

With “River Jordan,” a plaintive, fireside tune glued with a Biblical reference at the root, he pulls on his faith to explore the rush of not being in control. “The Jordan River, [which] historically symbolized hope for the Israelites crossing it to enter the Promised Land, shows how I wanted this song to be hopeful,” he explains. “The [river] also flows into the Dead Sea, which is where I got the idea of swimming against the river ⏤ trying to escape death and our humanity and live life in our own power or how we think life should be.”

“Sweep me away” becomes a prayer, which Dixon loops over and over and over again, and within such simplicity, he learns to let go. “I have found when I try to be fulfilled in material things, that it’s not enough,” he says. “This is my way of surrendering to searching for life in fleeting places.”

The title song bookends his story, at least for now, and its volatile percussion extends his emotional journey and finally settles on catharsis. “I never feel strong enough,” he broods between ashy flecks of guitar and drums. Dixon’s sojourn through self fulfillment is never really over, but he is closer than he has ever been to unlocking it completely. “Hopefully, I get closer as time goes on. I’m not sure if I’ll ever feel like I’ve arrived, though. I hope I continue to discover things about myself throughout life,” he says.

Dixon’s Lionheart EP, officially out on Friday (April 24) engages the listener, but its enlightened implications for him alone can not be understated. “It really helped me put a lot of my thoughts into words and ideas. I find myself still experiencing a lot of these emotions, and these songs are a reminder and encouragement. The process has reminded me of who I was as a kid. It has made me want to continue to discover who I am and to live in a way that is true to myself.”

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