Terrell Journey’s “A Journey Digital Christmas Vol 1” Isn’t Here To Fake The Holidays

Holidays aren’t just about carols and back-to-back celebrations. Sometimes, it’s the unfulfilled wishes, grief, unanswered messages, and all the things that make joy feel out of reach. Terrell Journey’s “A Journey Digital Christmas Vol 1” doesn’t mask that reality, giving you a curation that doesn’t force warmth to sit with you through ache and loneliness.

Terrell Journey is a rising music sensation from Atlanta, Georgia. Now, he’s back on the stage with a collection of holiday music that isn’t the one you’ll hear at the malls and grocery aisles. It’s the one you’ll play at Christmas eve alone with all the feelings and thoughts that you can’t wrap or gift to someone because it definitely belongs to you.

Christmas Too Fast opens the EP with R&B layers instead of jangling bells, making it clear that it’s not your typical Christmas carol. Right from the first track, Terrell made it clear that this isn’t some warm embrace on the holidays. It’s the disconnect as bills pile up and wishlists stay unfulfilled, making this season more transactional than joyful. He offers no comfort or resolution but a kind of honesty to sit with you if you’re ever in survival mode in December.

Christmas Pajamas eased the weight left by the first track with its gentle, softer beats. There’s no chaos from preparing dinners, only one person that craves intimacy and connection instead of materialistic needs. The hook, “I wanna see you in your Christmas pajamas,” feels less like a wish and more like a desire that can only be fulfilled through someone’s presence.

The EP ends with Sleep Through Christmas, stripping down the season into its most melancholic. The layers burst with ache and hurt. Think of a voice mail sent on Christmas eve, the one that echoes yearning for someone who will never come back. It’s a record of grief that overshadows the joy of this season.

One thing about this EP is it doesn’t pretend that everything is fine, but it doesn’t romanticize them either. It gives you a different reality that this season doesn’t only come with snow and moments under the mistletoe. Sometimes, it also comes with longing and heartbreak that isn’t often talked about.

If your Christmas doesn’t feel the same anymore, or if you simply want someone to sit with you through all the feelings you can’t talk about, Terrell Journey’s A Journey Digital Christmas Vol 1 is a companion on days where uninvited thoughts come undone while everything’s covered in presents and lights.