''Sensory Deprived'' by Brett Gleason: Dissociation and Emotional Disconnection
GRAHAM- May 6
- 2 min read
Gleason was born in Long Island, New York, where a speech impediment would lead to a childhood immersed in the arts. At 17, he moved to New York City to study music and literature at the New School University. Now based in Los Angeles, the multi-instrumentalist has produced 3 albums to critical acclaim and continues experimenting with new sounds and styles on his upcoming EP, ‘The Cycle of Things’ (July 15).
Strengthened by upright piano and layered with analogue synths, ''Sensory Deprived'' builds from a slow burn into a thunderous chorus, musically and emotionally. At its core, the track is a visceral reflection on emotional detachment and delayed self-awareness—a personal reckoning with how trauma, diagnoses, and upbringing shape the way we process feelings in a world that demands constant, immediate reaction.
‘'I don’t know, I can’t define, how do I feel this time?” Gleason sings, laying bare the internal struggle of not knowing how you feel until long after the moment has passed. “It takes time to know how I feel,” Gleason shares. “I need to take myself out of the situation and get some distance… to sleep on it, journal it out, write a song if I need to.”
It’s a dark, cathartic track about the dissociation that comes from living in a world that demands an immediate response while also teaching us not to trust our intuition, particularly if we’ve been labelled with a diagnosis or brought up in an unstable environment where we had to be perfect to be loved.
From Gleason, ‘'It can lead me to seem distant or cold, to say things I don’t mean, but I’m learning that I am different and need to honour myself and process. To sleep on it, journal it out, write a song if I need to”. Openly addressing his experience as a gay man living with bipolar disorder, Gleason’s music offers unfiltered access into a world of introspection, healing, and identity. His songs, described as “tender ballads turned epic moments,” reflect influences from Tori Amos to Rufus Wainwright and Trent Reznor. The track was performed, written & recorded by Brett Gleason and co-produced with Blak Emoji.
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