These days, it’s fashionable for underground artists to fantasize about the lavish life that musical stardom can promise.  Translating these dreams into songs can create for some wonderful visuals while listening, but can also lead a listener to wonder how much of the music is reflective of an artists reality and how much is an idealistic fabrication of what could be.  Ray Dawn is poised to have a big year in 2012, considering the fact that he has been getting plenty of attention online and is scheduled to perform at the prestigious SXSW Festival in Texas.  But does this EP reflect where he is, or where he wants to be?

From the Van Gogh-esque cover, it’s clear to listeners that Ray Dawn’s mind is already far beyond Pittsburgh, a fact confirmed seconds into the opening track, when he tells us, “Since I was young I’ve always had passport dreams… U.S.S. Pittsburgh.” And so the journey begins: complete with airy production fit for any beach, Ray Dawn provides some imagery that feels so vivid it suggests he not only dreams of this life daily, but has been there before (“And I’m going all in / God damn, traffic jams with the dolphins”).  Granted, the majority of the tap has a great vibe fit for any spring or summer day, Ray Dawn truly excels when flexing a bit of his wisdom on “Won’t Slip.”  Addressing record labels, he warns, “Sign the wrong shit and that shit can be fatal / it’s not what’s in the contract, it’s what’s not / they never tell you that when you’re signing on the dot.” Fact.

Fantasy aside, the problem with EP’s is their length; they make it difficult to really get a feel for who an artist is.  Unfortunately, Ray Dawn is so preoccupied with voicing what he wants his future to be, we don’t get a clear picture of who he is, where he’s at, or where he came from that made him have these ‘passport dreams.’  In fact, the final track on the already short EP, “Nude,” doesn’t offer much except a slew of thanks for his team.  That’s great, and surely necessary at some point, but it would seem more appropriate to place at the end of a full-length album, not the culmination of a five-track, twenty-minute long EP.

Passport Dreams let’s listeners know that Ray Dawn is aiming much higher than Pittsburgh, but it also suggests that he may be counting his yachts before they sail, so to speak.  Though the EP creates a great feeling throughout its five tracks, it also suggests that Ray Dawn may be getting a little ahead of himself when counting his accomplishments.  After all, what’s more important: the journey or the destination?

If you can relate, download the EP here, and get yourself a passport.

Overall rating: 3/5