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Apr 14, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Joeli Middlebrooks

Lady Dan, the moniker of Dothan, Alabama-born and Austin-based singer/songwriter Tyler Dozier, has been steadily sharing new tastes of her forthcoming debut album, I Am The Prophet. The product of a soul-baring isolated writing session and an expansive sonic approach, Dozier’s debut tells her story on her terms.

Dozier lays bare her experiences with controlling partners, patriarchal systems, and self-identity, all amidst impassioned songwriting and sweeping country and folk arrangements. As she describes, “I took a step back, looked at my life, and detoxed it. I started creating my own moral compass because I realized it had previously been made up by men in my life – pastors, boyfriends, people who didn’t care about my best interests. A lot of these songs are me processing and shedding all of that.”

Ahead of the record’s anticipated release Dozier has shared one last single, “Better Off Alone,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Better Off Alone” adds another highlight to I Am The Prophet’s tracklist, once again full of gorgeous arrangements and heartfelt melodies. Dozier introduces the song with characteristically pastoral instrumentation but, as the track settles into a leisurely pace, Dozier shows off even richer subtleties to her songwriting. She adds some gentle color to the intimate arrangement with a keening pedal steel and later brings effortless hints of jazzy saxophone over the latter half of the track.

Meanwhile, Dozier’s resonant lyricism takes a look at one of the more oft-forgotten sides of romance: guilt after breaking hearts. “No romance/No social/I’ve caused enough trouble/I think I’ll stay home/I’m better off alone” Dozier sings. Yet, in the context of the record’s themes, the track takes on a different kind of power, touching on an element of liberation that can be found in solitude. As Dozier seems to argue, sometimes it truly is better to be alone rather than at the whim of another’s controlling influences.

Dozier says of the track, “‘Better Off Alone’ is for anyone dealing with the guilt of breaking hearts. Stay home, delete your apps, cook some ramen. You can’t hurt anyone when you’re alone, and you can’t lose if you don’t play.” Check out the song below and watch for I Am The Prophet, due out April 23rd via Earth Libraries.