Rebecca Sykes - “dysmorphia”

Rebecca Sykes is a San Diego musician who performed as a session drummer for numerous local bands. But she also plays many other instruments and writes her own songs, and is stepping out from behind the kit to showcase her new solo material. That includes the incredible new single “dysmorphia,” the latest preview of her forthcoming debut EP Face to Face - out Nov. 21 via Dusty Mars Records.

“dysmorphia” is a rumination on body image - a stripped-down, downcast gothic folk stunner revolving around a plucky acoustic guitar that simmers under Sykes’ beautifully haunting vocals. Eventually, the track bursts into a blown-out indie rock crescendo full of raw, painfully honest emotions. “This song shows you exactly how I have perceived myself and my body and how I have struggled to find the light at the end of the tunnel,” Sykes says. “Face to Face is about looking at myself physically and mentally — and feeling everything.”

On Face to Face, Sykes turns the act of feeling too much into something melodic and cathartic - a four-song cycle that blurs the line between confession and composition. “When I wrote these songs, I quite literally had to look at myself face to face — dive into my emotions, look myself in the eye, and just be real with myself,” Sykes shared.

She teamed up with producer/engineer/mixer Ryan Finch to record the four-song EP at Satellite, Studio West’s Branch in San Diego. Along with a few assists from Finch, Sykes played every instrument on the record. It’s a huge creative step forward for Sykes, but one that looks to pay off with stark emotional lyricism and breathtaking sounds. We can’t wait to hear the whole thing. Until then, you can give the spellbinding black-and-white shot video for “dysmorphia” a spin below: