It’s a moment of unparalleled fulfillment for music fans: when the lyrics come just as they should, the guitar takes on a personality of its own, each harmony lays on top of the next in great comfort. The music and artist become one; the stars align. Seattle-born Akira Galaxy captures this sense of ecstasy on her debut release “Virtual Eyes,” a first impression that establishes a standard far beyond that of a rookie. The “years of blood, sweat, and tears” Galaxy admits to pouring into her art materialize in a release brimming with both intention and potential. On the track, we hear her longing for a connection that swells with the music, evolving into a vortex of transfixiation. The music is as divergent as it is described, with Galaxy citing the sonics of Radiohead, Cocteau Twins, and Fleetwood Mac as influences. She hits the mark, incorporating her muses into a swirling debut only to be built on.

Everything about her debut release indicates Akira Galaxy is an artist to be reckoned with. She is far more than just what meets the ear, as is proven in the music video supporting “Virtual Eyes.” A true cinematic effort, the video is brilliantly shot and edited by Silken Weinberg and Angela Ricciardi to complement the aesthetic of the track. It’s excitingly easy to get lost in the visual; Galaxy’s shimmering bodysuit doesn’t distract as much as it accentuates her character, making her the undoubted focus of each scene. The music is never lost, however, as it becomes a catalyst for the awe-inspiring scenes to come. You feel the urgency as Galaxy finds what has been attracting her all along, and as she takes off in pursuit, the music follows her pace. The lyrical climax neighbors the track’s resolution: “I want your impossible devotion / So look me in my virtual eyes / Give me your impossible devotion / Or look me in my dying eyes.”

“Virtual Eyes” feels so personal because it is. Galaxy wrote the song about a love affair that progressed entirely remotely, a dizzying relationship that involved “falling in love while the world stood still,” as she puts it. For some, the world does stand still when they find love; “Virtual Eyes” is proof that the inverse can inspire a drastically different reality. After “going back to real life and realizing that the moment was built on fantasy,” the 23-year-old is able to reflect on the situation with a sense of clarity that allows her to create around this time in her life. “Writing this song was a cathartic experience,” she shares. “It came together when I was in a state of complete brokenness, and being in the vortex of this song is what pieced me back together. I think the most secretly beautiful thing about life is turning the darkest moments into light, and the way I know how to do that is through music.” If the sounds of “Virtual Eyes” weren’t proof enough, the song’s visuals proves that she’s a capital-A Artist. As she steps into the light herself, Akira Galaxy captivates in a way that is going to be hard to forget.

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