On his 2021 track “Nightmare”, Dylan Fraser offers a visceral portrait of his struggles with mental health against a suitably anxious musical backdrop. The rising Scottish singer-songwriter’s mesmerising Apple Music Home Session sees him dial that musical chaos right down in favour of something altogether more mellow—think softer guitars and piano melodies alongside soothing backing vocals—but just as powerful. “‘Nightmare’ is special to me because it’s so deeply personal,” Fraser tells Apple Music. “I wrote this track about a time in my life where I just felt all over the place. I get pretty bad anxiety and it tends to build and build and then it explodes and, for a week straight, I’ll just be all over the place. I hope this song can make people feel a little less alone in their worries.” Next, the singer—whose enthralling, introspective alt-pop is influenced by artists including Lorde, Radiohead, Phoebe Bridgers and Kanye West—offers a stirring cover of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way”. “I was watching the Kurt Cobain documentary Montage of Heck, and this song was played at a specific moment and I guess it just really hit me and I connected with it instantly,” he says. The years 2020 and 2021 have been strange for many artists, not least breakout stars like Fraser. And yet, so much time at home has taught the singer-songwriter a lot about himself. “I found this time to take a step back and reflect and analyse very inspiring,” he admits. “It really gave me so much time to sit with my thoughts and figure out exactly what I wanted to say before writing anything. I think it’s helped improve my songwriting massively.”