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As open as the world is in the modern age, with the rise of social media in its many forms, that vulnerability makes it just as easy to keep a guard up for our most intimate thoughts and feelings. This is something that comes with age as well. Each year, we reflect on our lives and the world around us, with the innocence of youth slowly getting further away as life becomes more serious in parts. However, there’s also the opposite case, where some are more closed off early, only to let people in when it finally feels like the right time. John Sessions is an example of the latter with his newest EP, A Bachelor’s Diary.

Using his turn into his 30’s as an entrance for vulnerable expression, Sessions makes it known off the first track that he means to make himself known to his audience. “Use Your Words” is an immediate tip-off with the title, but that hint doesn’t dull the edge put into the delivery of the lyrics, running counter to the relaxed beats and eased strings in the background along with the Q&A at the beginning. Words are not minced in dictating what his stance is when it comes to dropping a bundle of issues, underlining the need for space and the ability to overcome highlighted woes like debt and finding himself through struggle.

Throughout the five-track selection, the theme of growth surfaces in different ways, the next three songs being reflective of it. “Easy Way Out” compares Sessions’ new direction with those he had dealings with in the past, casting an unapologetic approach to exploring his art, defining his drive. “Dirty 30’s” touches on the desires for personal freedom, showing a selfishness for the self while tapping into a new sexual age. The next track,“Back Shots”, almost plays exactly the opposite by lifting the curtain on the anxieties that come from an actual encounter and the results from it.

Capping off the EP, “I Love When” comes off initially with a bit of sarcasm, broadening from the first verses into the wide spectrum of high’s and low’s that make up a relationship. Sessions consistently over each song speaks directly from his mind, but with this track, the thoughts over what he wants with the acknowledgment of where he is are all let loose for listeners to pick up during the one-sided interaction without having to read between the lines. Each line delivers the kind of honesty, tense and warm, that could only be exchanged with a close friend or loved one.

Giving outside forces a way to see inside often asks for permissions that we seldom like to give. A Bachelor’s Diary marks a courageous step for Sessions, one that may be worth contemplating for listeners, in boldly announcing himself as he enters a new era of his life. Often, moving forward means shining a light where one would be most protective. Sessions uses his own honesty here not to hide, but to make the unknown leap into the unknown, for his career, but also for himself.

Earlier this year, we got up with Sessions about this newest collection of work to get behind the mind a bit, as well as checking out where he’s headed next for 2023. Check out the full interview below!

Timeline:
1:46 – Who is John Sessions?
3:24 – Start of Discussion about A Bachelor’s Diary EP
4:12 – (On “Dirty 30’s); Where Did You Base The Adventures off of?
6:12 – (On “Use Your Words”); Did Making This Album Help Make You More Vulnerable?
7:24 – (On Easy Way Out); What Inspires You To Push Forward?
9:44 – What Causes You To Be Anxious or Vulnerable?
12:29 – What Keeps You From Being Vulnerable?
13:04 – (On “I Love When”); Was Ending The Album With This Track Meaningful?
15:39 – What Draws You To R&B and Hip-Hop Stylings In Your Music?
18:49 – What’s Happening In 2023 For You?

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