Isabelle Rose ‘Bad Dreams’ - Turning Nightmares Into Resonance with NMDA

There’s a particular kind of bravery in letting your inner world be heard. On Bad Dreams, NMDA’s latest collaboration with vocalist Isabelle Rose, vulnerability isn’t just present—it’s engineered into the very bones of the track. Blending jazz inflections, chillhop ease, and meticulously layered electronic production, the song feels both deeply personal and expansively cinematic, like a confession whispered through surround sound.

At its core, Bad Dreams is about living with fear—and choosing not to look away from it. Rose’s lyrics draw from six years of recurring nightmares, translating nocturnal anxiety into something startlingly lucid. Her vocal performance is the track’s emotional anchor: restrained yet exposed, controlled but never distant. She doesn’t oversell the pain; she lets it breathe. The result is a delivery that feels intimate without being fragile, powerful without posturing.

NMDA’s production meets Rose exactly where she is. Soft, glimmering synths ebb and flow around her voice, while textured percussion and subtle harmonic shifts respond to every emotional turn. Rather than dominating the song, the production feels conversational—an attentive listener rather than a loud counterpart. This synergy gives Bad Dreams its immersive quality, pulling the audience into a shared emotional space rather than performing emotion at them.

Structurally, the track resists the tidy formulas of pop music. Instead of building toward a single predictable climax, Bad Dreams unfolds in waves—quiet moments of reflection swelling into lush, almost cinematic peaks before receding again. This ebb and flow mirrors the internal cycles of anxiety itself: tension, release, calm, repeat. It’s a composition that asks for patience and presence, rewarding listeners who are willing to sit with its complexity.

What makes Bad Dreams particularly compelling is its refusal to soften the dark edges of its story. The unease, the fear, the vulnerability—they’re not glossed over or transformed into something more palatable. Instead, they’re amplified through contrast and texture, proving that darkness can be a sonic strength rather than a liability. It’s a reminder that electronic music, often associated with detachment or escapism, can be profoundly human when emotion leads the process.

Ultimately, Bad Dreams stands as a testament to collaboration done right. NMDA’s expansive, detail-rich sound design and Isabelle Rose’s emotionally resonant performance elevate each other, creating a track that feels both technically assured and emotionally unfiltered. It’s the kind of song that reveals itself slowly, offering new nuances with each listen—and a clear signal that both artists are stepping into a more fearless, expressive chapter of their work.

NMDA: Instagram, Spotify, Apple Music | Isabelle Rose: Instagram, TikTok, Spotify

PR: Decent Music PR