**update** this is my last project. im thankful for the 11 years i put into HOKES, it was an outlet i desperately needed and im not sure where i would be now without it (possibly dead). but realistically, i would probably be in the same place - a regular person with a regular job. alot of artists you may perceive as successful and the best at what they do have regular jobs. i deleted all of my social media accounts and im ready to just live my life, and remove the albatross hanging around my neck of a "music career". im grateful that i never saw any success with my music because i would have gotten lost in it. now, i get to make music at my leisure and not worry about a product, how it will be perceived, and how i can monetize it. my perspective has changed, HOKES has permanently gone back to his home planet, and i have to get up tomorrow at 5am for work.

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clocking in at just over 16 minutes, "Today Was A Bad Dream" contains elements of hip hop, punk, singer/songwriter, and alternative pop - with electronic sounds and a complex meter or two.

it can be difficult for me to release projects because i don't always know what to do with songs after i make them. this causes a vast majority of my music to sit on my hard drive. to me, the most important aspect is the creation itself - i make whatever i'm feeling in the moment, so putting projects together is an after thought. these 7 tracks naturally floated to the top of my vault, found each other, and starting hanging out together on their own volition.

my goal for 2021 was to put out all of my favorite unreleased music. i released a new song every week (for about 10 months) and compiled them into collections ("1", "2", and "3" respectively). as much as i love all of those projects, "Today Was A Bad Dream" contains the songs that have the most personal meaning to me, the ones i felt the need to protect years ago when i first made them.

i started my journey as a solo artist in 2011, with the intention of being able to have full control over my creative work. i've taken many twists and turns, had many ups and downs, but i still feel as though i am just scratching the surface. i see everything i've ever made (and will make) as one continuous story being told in real time, reflecting my perspective of life.

i don't want to be a part of the music industry, i don't want to feed the algorithm to gain a bunch of followers, i don't want releasing my music to feel like a game that i'm trying to win... this is my greatest passion and essentially the only thing i care about doing, so preserving my creative energy is my top priority.

thank you to everyone who has stuck with me over the past decade. i love you all, and only hope to continue to blossom and grow in this blessing of an existence (it took a lot of therapy to feel that way!)