In a world where artists are increasingly packaged with a shiny, algorithm-friendly gloss, Trevor Drury comes as a refreshing contradiction—a former international model whose music is more likely to wander into alt-pop explorations of the human psyche than onto mainstream radio. His latest EP, Alice, It’s All in Your Head, isn’t designed to be easily digested in a three-minute, auto-tuned burst. Instead, it’s a dive into what Drury does best: storytelling, not just through lyrics but through a moody mélange of indie rock, alt-pop, and jazz, all delivered with his signature retro flair. The result is a sonic landscape that feels like it exists out of time—echoing both the past and the present.
URL: https://www.officialtrevordrury.com/
Born in Tucson and raised in San Diego, Drury’s creative journey began with an eight-year-old at the piano keys, already more interested in Beethoven than playing video games. Music became his obsession early, and by the time he got to college at San Diego State University, he was already starting to feel the pull away from traditional music education. He once described nights spent in the university’s practice rooms, where instead of rehearsing classical vocal exercises, he found himself composing songs like “Shallow,” the first track that would eventually feature on his 2016 album The Start.
That restless curiosity has followed him, now at 26 and studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston. But don’t be fooled by the academic setting—there’s nothing remotely textbook about his latest work. Alice, It’s All in Your Head is a labyrinthine exploration of the mind, filled with dark piano riffs, Radiohead-inspired rhythms, and Drury’s ability to turn introspective musings into evocative lyrical landscapes.
Take the EP’s first single, “Head on the Tracks,” which premiered in Clash Magazine in the UK. Drury spins a tale of emotional unraveling, but not in the tired, hyper-dramatic pop format. Instead, the track is brooding, filled with tension, and features Drury’s piano riffs winding through like whispered secrets. You don’t just hear the song—you feel it. It’s a nod to the alt-rock and jazz influences that give his music that sharp, unexpected edge. And, of course, there’s the unmistakable influence of Radiohead, an admitted inspiration, seeping into the track’s layered complexity.
But Alice, It’s All in Your Head isn’t just an exercise in recreating the sounds of Drury’s musical heroes—it’s a journey inward. The EP takes listeners into a mental space that teeters between reality and imagination, much like Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that it nods toward in its title. “I’ve always been fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves, the things that live inside our heads,” Drury said in a recent interview. “This EP is really about that, how we sometimes live in worlds of our own making.”
And while Alice explores these inner worlds, it does so with the help of some heavy hitters. Drury worked alongside Grammy-winning writer and producer Marc Swersky and mixer Seth Von Paulus, collaborating with top-tier studio musicians to bring the EP to life. The production is lush, with each track carefully built to give Drury’s introspective lyrics a platform to stand on. You hear the influence of artists like Billy Joel in Drury’s ability to use the piano as a narrative tool, while hints of Elvis Presley’s retro sensibility slip through in the crooning vocal delivery.
For Drury, who once graced the pages of Details magazine and posed as the face of Tom Ford’s 2016 beauty campaign, music has always been more than just a career path—it’s his way of processing the world. “When I was a kid, they asked me in school what I wanted to be when I grew up,” Drury reflected in a recent interview. “I had so many dreams, but being a musician always felt like it was the one that stuck.” And while his modeling career has undoubtedly provided him with a platform and an aesthetic sensibility that permeates his visual presentations, the heart of Drury’s art is in his music.
A particularly haunting track on the EP, “How Do I Get Back,” feels like a direct descendant of this narrative-based approach. With its slow-build instrumentation and melancholic chord progressions, Drury’s lyrics probe the familiar question of whether you can ever truly return to who you once were. It’s deeply personal yet accessible, allowing listeners to project their own experiences onto the story he’s telling. This emotional openness has become a hallmark of his songwriting, making his music difficult to forget and impossible to ignore.
That’s not to say Alice is all darkness and brooding reflection. Drury injects a sly sense of humor into tracks like “Silly Rabbit,” where his jazz influences creep in with bouncy piano lines that feel playfully reminiscent of a speakeasy at 3 a.m. It’s moments like this that remind you Drury is not just a melancholic soul searching for meaning in the abyss—he’s also a showman who understands the importance of a well-placed wink.
But it’s the title track, “Alice, It’s All in Your Head,” where the EP really cements its purpose. A sprawling, atmospheric piece that blends piano, synths, and Drury’s introspective lyrics, the song feels like the perfect embodiment of Drury’s mission as an artist: to invite listeners into his world, to ask questions without offering easy answers, and to leave an indelible mark on anyone willing to listen closely. It’s the kind of song that lingers long after it ends, a sonic invitation to step through the looking glass and explore the worlds we create inside ourselves.
As RJ Frometa of Vents Magazine aptly put it, “… it is only a matter of time until Drury establishes himself as a truly global musical force.” And it’s hard to disagree. Drury, with his blend of alt-pop sensibilities, retro influences, and his undeniable gift for storytelling, is carving out a space in the industry that feels entirely his own. He’s not chasing trends, not looking to be the next big thing on Spotify’s New Music Friday. Instead, he’s playing the long game, creating music that stays with you, music that asks you to think, to feel, to reflect.
In Alice, It’s All in Your Head, Drury delivers not just an EP, but an experience—a sonic journey that’s at once introspective and expansive, challenging listeners to look inward and question the stories they tell themselves. For Drury, this EP marks just another step in what promises to be a long, unpredictable, and deeply fascinating musical journey. As he continues to refine his craft and expand his sound, one thing remains clear: Trevor Drury isn’t just in your head—he’s here to stay.
Troy Johnstone