As a listener, different releases hook me in for different reasons — some for production, others for songwriting, and even some for visuals. Alix Page’s latest offering, “25,” fires on all of these cylinders and more. Just the 19-year old’s third single to date, the new song is rooted in raw emotion, not losing an ounce of fervency from the heart to the pen. It captures a moment of reflection and growth about an ex, but focused specifically on the prospect of running into that ex after things have gone sour, where and when it would happen, and the emotions surrounding such thoughts, from letting go to growing up.

In this way, what makes “25” stand out as such an impressive release is Page’s dedication to candidness –emotionally, vocally, and even in her choice of production. At the beginning of the song, she describes coincidentally driving through an ex’s neighborhood while running errands. The songwriting takes shape from there, matching this setting with a heart-stricken progression of thought that sounds and feels seamlessly true to Page’s daydreams while riding in the car as her mind wanders back to her ex, what the relationship was like, the future, and more — certainly no easy writing feat, and one that lays the groundwork for the production and visuals to build out the rest of the picture, which they so masterfully do.

Visually, “25” is filled with picture-perfect scenes of the relationship that the song revolves around, switching between shots in a way that accurately grasps the daydream-esque feel and flow of the lyrics. These shots are then cut between visuals of Page running down the road and singing in the car, rooting the dreamscape scenes in a level of reality that brings viewers back around to the track’s purpose. This flow of imagery acts in perfect conjunction with the song, and if not anything else, it’s a masterful display of how visuals can enhance and complement a track rather than just acting as a visual accompaniment to a given release, or a box to check off in a rollout.

Everyone involved in “25” played their role in a way that builds around Page’s genius and emotion without ever intruding on its purity, which is massively difficult to achieve. Few releases in recent memory have successfully executed this balancing act in such a mesmerizing way, and for that, I can’t recommend Page’s latest enough.

With her Old News EP on the way, “25” marks the first chapter in what will certainly being an exciting near future for the young artist, so be sure to keep an eye out for more. Alix Page is special, and her latest release shows why.

Produced by Alix Page, Brett Kramer, Andrew Pham, Emiko Bankson
Mixed by Yianni AP
Mastered by Dave Cooley