Lhyme: Jessi Robertson’s “Dark Matter” EP, Stir Fried: Sukiyaki Memories From Her Grandmother’s Kitchen

By Lhyme

I recently caught up with Jessi Robertson to talk about her newly released EP Dark Matter — and this one felt extra special because while I was writing, I finally got to break in my cast-iron wok (a gift I’ve been waiting months to use). The result? A glossy, savory Japanese sukiyaki stir-fry with udon noodles sizzling in the background, perfectly matching the warm, analog soul of Jessi’s project. But let’s get right into Jessi.

One of her earliest memories is simply making things up — songs, poems, little melodies about anything and everything. As a kid, she’d write songs about her swing set or whatever was happening around her, narrating life in melody. She didn’t play instruments then, but she wrote constantly, and her poetry eventually became songs. She picked up a guitar around 16, but the real turning point came earlier. Jessi doesn’t know if she would have stepped into performing unless the church had pulled her in. At a prayer group, people heard her singing and insisted, “You need to be on the praise and worship team.” Suddenly, Jessi — introverted by nature (same, girl) — was pushed onto a stage. She learned mic technique, learned how to play, and learned how to be extroverted on command. That experience became foundational, unlocking a confidence and presence she didn’t yet know she had.

Her musical DNA started at home. Jessi credits her mom with having incredible taste in music, filling the house with Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Billie Holiday, and more. Later came the artists who shaped her own sonic identity — Prince, David Bowie, and the moment in college when she heard Jeff Buckley for the first time. “My mouth dropped,” she told me. “I’d never heard anyone sing with that kind of passion.” And you can absolutely hear all of that in Dark Matter. My favorite tracks — “Spooky Action at a Distance” and “Shadow War” — carry a haunting emotional gravity that feels both cosmic and grounded. Her voice has depth. Soul. There’s a visual quality to her music — like every note sketches its own atmosphere. Jessi’s sound feels like a living visualizer, the kind of music that begs for accompanying artwork, movement, or light.

Fast-forward to now: Jessi recorded Dark Matter earlier this spring and released it on October 31, 2025, a fitting cosmic-meets-shadow date for an album this evocative. She’s also working on another project with Chris Benelli called Dreaming Lotus — an 80s-pop, synth-driven world that’s wildly different from this EP but just as exciting. One thing Jessi was adamant about was not doing the modern slow-drip rollout. Everyone told her, “Release singles first, rush this out, follow the trends.” But she didn’t want that. Dark Matter is meant to be listened to start to finish. Eight songs. Thirty to forty minutes. A full journey, not chopped-up fragments. She wants listeners to sit inside the world she built — to feel each transition, each mood, each universe within the record.

Because to Jessi, the EP isn’t just music — it’s an invitation. A reminder that even with the weight of everything happening in the world right now, we’re still part of the same human community. We can imagine new worlds, escape into the cosmic, let ourselves drift for a moment — but we must also stay present, grounded, connected, and supportive of one another.

This is Jessi’s first full release in over ten years. She’s put out singles during that span, but not a complete, cohesive work. Now she’s diving back into her archive of unreleased songs — and she has so many — ready to bring more music into the world alongside her Dreaming Lotus project.

There’s a lot more to come from Jessi Robertson — but Dark Matter is the beginning of a bold, beautiful new chapter.So be sure to check out Dark Matter, streaming everywhere now. 

When it comes to food, Jessi’s mind immediately went to her mom — and her grandmother. Jessi’s grandmother is from Japan. She married a U.S. soldier after World War II and came to the States, bringing with her a beautiful food tradition that shaped Jessi’s childhood. Jessi grew up eating a lot of Japanese food, especially the cozy, comforting dishes her grandmother and mother made. One of her absolute favorites: sukiyaki. Traditional sukiyaki is a one-pot dish cooked in a hot pot — thinly sliced beef, lots of vegetables sliced super fine, scallions, ginger, peppers, bamboo shoots, and a silky sauce made with soy sauce, mirin, and a bit of cornstarch to make it bubble and cling to everything. Jessi’’s mom had a trick: she would freeze the steak so she could slice it paper-thin. She’d sear it quickly in a wok, remove it before it overcooked, cook all the veggies in the same pan, then bring it all together in that glossy, savory sauce. Sometimes served over rice. Sometimes with tofu. Sometimes with carrots. It was — and still is — one of Jessi’s core comfort foods.

Jessi has autoimmune conditions and tends to go light on gluten. She can eat gluten, but in smaller amounts. Day-to-day, she gravitates toward Asian food and Mexican food: Thai stir-fries, Korean dishes (she loves bulgogi), noodles, rice bowls, enchiladas, anything with vegetables and flavor. She loves spice, loves cheese, loves Korean-style sauces, and snacks on things like wasabi almonds, clementines, mandarins, grapes, dried apricots, and Harvest Snaps. She doesn’t eat many cookies or cakes, but she loves a little piece of chocolate after dinner. 

For Jessi, I knew I needed to make a Japanese sukiyaki stir-fry — but with a twist. I added udon noodles for extra warmth and texture after seeing variations online, and it turned out absolutely delicious. I also finally got to break out my cast-iron wok, which was so fun for me!  It’s everything you want on a cold winter day: warm, flavorful, saucy, packed with vegetables, kissed with sesame oil, topped with scallions, and built around thinly sliced steak cooked just right. Comfort in a bowl. Nostalgia on a plate. The perfect dish to pair with the immersive world of Dark Matter. Check out the full recipe below while listening to Jessi Robertson’s new EP Dark Matter, available on all streaming platforms.

See Lhyme for the full recipe and story.