Dr. Don did not set out to write a song about mental health challenges. He was just following the same creative rhythm that had defined much of his recent work, the alternating fast and slow, short and long, letting his piano guide the melody before layering in bass and a synthetic violin called La Pesque. Escape Reality was meant to be a quiet counterbalance to the upbeat, radio-ready Ruled by Time, his fastest song to date.

The title came to him after dozens of failed ideas. It felt right. Simple, grounded, a little evasive. He started recording on June 21. The lyrics came on June 30.

“I thought this was turning out pretty dark,” Dr. Don shared in an email.

A Bridge Toward Something Better

The song does not flinch from sadness. It opens with lines about life and pain, ab

See Full Page