It starts in the dark, and you’re there—eyes locked on a velvet curtain as it pulls back, revealing not just a stage but the sprawling Texas horizon beneath a blanket of stars. I Found A Reason, the debut album from Alma Jette, opens with an instrumental overture that does more than set the tone; it situates you in an expansive, aching landscape. This is Texas, sure, but it’s also the inner terrain of Mary Bryce, the artist behind Alma Jette. We move through her scenes—abandoned bungalows, fire-ravaged homes, and tender memories—until we arrive back at the stage, changed. It’s a musical theater of the soul, and Bryce is the showrunner.

Born out of the surreal stillness of the pandemic, I Found A Reason emerged in an old, crumbling Austin bungalow, the kind of place where time doesn’t just stop—it stretches and warps. For Bryce, who grew up in Austin’s eclectic music scene, the isolation offered space to craft a sweeping, intimate debut. The ten tracks on the album, co-written and recorded to tape with guitarist and producer Jake Miles, offer a sonic landscape as vast as the Texas sky, yet filled with personal nooks and crannies where love, loss, and resilience reside. Bryce’s inspiration draws from the likes of Cate Le Bon’s atmospheric pop and Constantin Brâncuși’s minimalist sculptures, but it’s her lived experience that imbues the album with an aching authenticity.

Bryce’s love affair with music—and Miles—is central to this narrative. Recorded during their romantic relationship, I Found A Reason initially feels like a love letter, steeped in intimacy and devotion. On tracks like “Demons,” where Bryce paints a picture of dancing in the kitchen to Smokey Robinson’s “Ooo Baby Baby,” the sweetness is undeniable. “Do You Remember” follows with a piano-soaked ballad reflecting on early love, simple and nostalgic. At first glance, it’s easy to label these as love songs. But scratch the surface, and they reveal a deeper story—one of heartbreak.