Jax Fleming’s story starts as a kid from Henderson, Kentucky, watching a 30 Seconds to Mars concert video and realizing exactly what he wanted to do with his life. He texted his dad right then and there: “This is what I want to do.” That moment of clarity eventually led him to front Atlas of the Dogs, playing some of southern Indiana’s biggest stages like the Ford Center and Victory Theatre.
“A solid debut album that trades polish for truth and comes out stronger for it.”
This six-song EP took Fleming a year and a half to make. The album opens with “Superficial”, which is about betting on yourself when nobody else will, about being labelled and dismissed and deciding to prove everyone wrong anyway. It’s the sound of someone who’s done the work and is ready to show it. Then comes the title track, “I’ll Be Fine,” which is where Fleming opens up about anxiety, self-doubt, and those late-night conversations you have with yourself when things feel like they’re falling apart.
“Macie” might be the emotional core of the entire EP. Without getting into specifics, this is a song about loss, about choices that change everything, about futures that never happened. “3am” captures the loneliness that can come with chasing your dreams, success that leaves you feeling isolated from the people you started with. “Twilight” and “HiLo” explore the push and pull of relationships, ambition, and the exhausting cycle of highs and lows that come with both.
The production is exceptionally melancholic. The guitar work moves between driving alt-rock moments and these dreamy, atmospheric stretches. We’ve all felt dismissed, heartbroken, lost, or stuck between who we were and who we’re becoming. These six tracks tap into that shared experience without getting preachy or self-indulgent about it.
For a debut solo EP, “I’ll Be Fine” is remarkably confident in what it wants to be. It is the kind of record that gets better with each listen, revealing new layers as you spend more time with it. Fleming set out to make something honest and personal, something that meant everything to him. Mission accomplished. Now it’s your turn to see what it means to you.
Muse Chronicle 
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