Slowcoaching Sink into Restless Loops on I’m In My Brain Again
From Melbourne, Australia, Slowcoaching offer a quietly intimate and emotionally resonant release with I’m In My Brain Again, out on January 16, 2025. Written entirely by Dean Valentino, the record unfolds as a lucid portrait of inner restlessness, late-night thought spirals, and the uneasy calm that lives somewhere between wakefulness and sleep.
Slowcoaching is the solo project of Naarm-based musician Dean Valentino, a self-described notoriously bad sleeper and nervous wreck, and that lived reality sits at the very centre of this release. I’m In My Brain Again feels less like a conceptual album and more like a faithful transcription of mental states that repeat night after night. The title alone captures the familiar moment of lying awake, caught in circular thoughts, unable to disengage from the noise of one’s own mind.
Musically, the record drifts within the borders of dream-pop and shoegaze, favouring atmosphere, softness, and emotional subtlety over density or volume. Guitars blur into gentle washes, melodies hover rather than assert themselves, and vocals feel inward, close, and unguarded. There is a strong sense of fragility throughout, but it is paired with care and precision, never collapsing into chaos. Instead, the music moves patiently, mirroring the rhythm of anxious thought itself.
What makes I’m In My Brain Again particularly compelling is its honesty. Valentino does not dramatise anxiety or insomnia, nor does he seek resolution. The record sits comfortably with uncertainty, allowing unease, repetition, and vulnerability to exist without explanation. This refusal to tidy emotional edges gives the release its credibility, making it feel lived-in rather than performative.
As a solo work, the album benefits from cohesion and focus. Every element feels aligned with the same emotional temperature, reinforcing the sense that this is a single internal space being explored from different angles. Rather than building toward climaxes, the songs loop, drift, and gently dissolve, creating an immersive listening experience that rewards stillness and attention.
Within the broader dream-pop and shoegaze landscape, I’m In My Brain Again stands out for its restraint and sincerity. It does not chase genre maximalism or nostalgia, instead leaning into quiet tension and emotional clarity. The result is a release that feels deeply personal while remaining universally relatable, especially to anyone familiar with anxiety, sleeplessness, or the difficulty of switching the mind off.
With I’m In My Brain Again, Slowcoaching carve out a space that feels safe, fragile, and quietly profound. It is a record that does not demand focus but gently holds it, offering companionship in moments of restlessness rather than escape from them. For Dean Valentino, this release feels less like a statement and more like a shared confession, one that lingers long after the final note fades.
© Thusblog
