Sometimes, finally releasing a new artistic project feels “just cathartic as hell,” and for Ace Turk, formerly known as Dakotaxela, creating his hot off-the-press EP “Flame Feelings” was just so.

He started the project back in late December, and as of this past Friday the five-song collection is now available to your ears on all major streaming platforms.

This collection showcases the artist’s usual poetic lyricism, but this time he takes his power to new heights as his sounds reach incredible depth. Ace Turk dives into a depiction of the intense feelings that he finds “burning up inside.” He discussed the original single off the EP, its title track “Flame Feelings,” and how it dives into the feelings that come with overstimulation as a neurodivergent person. He explained that the other songs in the EP showcase things that produce these “flame feelings.”

The final two songs to be completed in the project were “Permafrost” and “Blood Pact,” which happens to also be the song that opened the EP.

This selection was an incredibly powerful move when leading into the entire tracklist. There is an overtone in “Blood Pact” that lies across the lyricism throughout this EP, and it begins right away with this first song. Lines like “promise me we won’t feel alone” set the stage for the deeper progression of Ace Turk’s broad inner monologue.

The second song is “Shapeshifter.” In this song, Ace Turk ropes listeners in with a whirlwind of thought-provoking lyricism, with punch-packing lines like “we’re mindless creatures destroying ourselves and putting each other in tears.” The mirror euphemism in this work is amazing, though you absolutely need to give it a listen to learn that for yourself.

The title track “Flame Feelings” was originally written unplugged, a version that he said he would likely take to the stage if he were to perform the EP live. This song was placed as the final item on the tracklist: a powerful choice in tying the EP together.

Beyond that, the song titles across the five-song tracklist fit strongly together to further tighten the cohesion behind this project.

Ace Turk wants listeners to “be the person you want to be.”

He also said that as an individual,“I do what I want and if I’m the black sheep I don’t care.”

Clearly, his creative juices are always flowing, as he said that “My notes app is my best friend” in taking down lyrics and voice memos.

The artist only recently underwent his rebranding under a new artist name, which was another item he sought to highlight with this release.

Ace was a nickname in elementary school that stuck with him, and with that in mind, he curated a new name for himself that created better opportunities for image-building in his career.

Ace Turk reflected on his personal growth and the parallels between such and his career choices. As he realized that he changed as a person, it became time to rebrand under a changed artist name. “I keep evolving,” he said. “I just know I’m a different person now, but it changed me for the better.”

This project is showcasing “just another evolution of my sound.”

He explained this by saying that it is as if “You’re on a hike and you see a cliff in the background and you think ‘that’s a nice view’ and then you go up a mile and you can still see that view, a little bit, but you also see this whole new view, and that’s how I feel. There’s still vibes of my older stuff, but there’s all of this new stuff.” This is the voice of a true creative mind and there comes no surprise in how vivid his music is.

You can stream “Flame Feelings,” the EP, now on all major streaming platforms, and immerse yourself in 17 minutes of incredible energy highs and lows that will take you riding along this organic progression of thought and sound.

Keep an eye out this upcoming Friday when the music video for “Flame Feelings,” directed by university student Nick Amico, goes live.