In Your Dreams

I’ve really been getting into the dream-pop genre of late, and it’s quickly becoming one of my favourite musical styles. Because of this, I thought it was high time that I created a round-up review based around dream-pop music. It’s quite a diverse genre of music, containing elements of lots of other styles, so all the acts here will be a little different. However, that just means there’s more to love!

Review by Jane Howkins

Photo by Linuss

Linuss – Go To Her

Starting this list off nicely is Linuss with new track Go To Her. It’s got that classic dream-pop sound that all fans of the genre will recognise instantly, featuring some lovely guitar work – both in terms of the electric and acoustic guitars. The vocals are extremely dreamy, floating around in the forefront of the tune in a gorgeous way. The chorus adds a little more instrumentation to the track, as pretty little guitar motifs tail off from the main melody perfectly. This is a fantastic tune and one that all dream-pop fans should love.

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Mildfire – Never Change

Never Change is Mildfire’s debut release, making it sound all the more impressive how good it is! It’s one of the most unique sounding tracks on this list, opening with a busy selection of synths, guitars and basslines, making sure the music gets stuck in your head straight away. The vocals are also lovely, suiting the rest of the music well. The song breaks down slightly on the chorus, allowing the vocals to really stand out. It’s also a very technically proficient piece of music, showing just how amazing this artist is.

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Rae Travers – Love In The City

Rae Travers adds a more mainstream pop vibe to this list, although there are still elements of dream-pop and indie-pop present in Love In The City. It’s quite a slowed down song, allowing Rae’s stunning vocals to truly shine through. A selection of gorgeous synths and strings play along in the background, joined by a prominent bassline and some unique percussion, making this a perfect pop song. What’s even more impressive is that Love In The City is Rae’s debut release, showing great promise for the future!

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Second Adam & the New Creations – Cool and the Flame

New York group Second Adam & the New Creations may be a Christian act, but there’s plenty to enjoy in Cool and the Flame if you’re not of a religious nature. The guitars sound lovely here, used sparingly to create something really beautiful. It’s a slowed-down song in typical dream-pop style, containing some beautiful vocal harmonies that align well with the rest of the music. It’s a really pretty sounding piece of music, and one that fans of the genre should love, no matter what their spiritual beliefs are.

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Indigo Daydream – Strawberry Fields Forever

As you may have guessed, Strawberry Fields Forever is a reimagining of the classic Beatles song, who were pioneers of dream-pop in their later years. Indigo Daydream has really done the track justice here – it’s different, yet it still retains all the charm of the original. The vocals have a traditional shoegaze sound – they’re rather distant in the mix, but they work really well when laid out against the music, which also sounds epic. It’s a fantastic version of the Beatles tune, so you really should check this out if you like the original!

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Frank Joshua – Patent Leather Car

Regular readers of these pages should be well aware of Frank Joshua by now, as we just can’t get enough! Patent Leather Car is another dreamy tune, full of luscious keyboard melodies and a busy drum beat that really makes the music stand out. The drums are actually my favourite part of the song, but Frank’s vocals are also absolutely on point too – they’re quite low, but they really work well with the style of track. It’s a really pretty sounding piece of music, and one that dream-pop fans should love!

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Genuine Leather – Tear It Down

Texas-based artist Genuine Leather has created something really catchy in latest release, Tear It Down. It’s a little more mainstream sounding than some of the other songs in this review, but it still has some elements of the dream-pop genre – particularly with the glorious synths that echo throughout the track. The rhythm is rather upbeat too, creating something that will have you up and dancing straight away. The vocals simply ooze confidence, taking the track to new heights, making this an absolute must listen track!

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Butterjunk – Episodes

Butterjunk is a four-piece indie-pop band from Bristol, set to take the world by storm with their new single, Episodes. The track has that classic jangly guitar sound that we’ve all come to know and love from the indie-rock genre, although it’s also rather poppy at times. There are multiple layers contained within the music, creating something wonderful that envelops the listener straight away. It’s a really atmospheric piece of work, sounding absolutely perfect in every way! Don’t miss out on Butterjunk!

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j.r. Felt – dream

j.r. Felt is an extremely creative person, as he’s also a visual artist and clothing creator, as well as a musician! dream is perfectly titled, as it fits the dream-pop genre exceedingly well. It’s quite a minimalist sounding song at first, but there’s more going on here than meets the ear, so you should listen to it a few times over. The main instrumentation comes from a strummed acoustic guitar and some lovely electric guitar motifs that break off every so often, as the baritone vocals drift perfectly over the music.

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Wotts – garden

Wotts has created another slightly more mainstream pop song in the form of garden, but we’re sure you’ll agree it’s also rather dreamy once you listen to it! The vocals follow the rhythm of the music perfectly, adding an infectiously catchy vibe to the track. There are a lot of different synth effects and melodies in the background of the tune, dancing around nicely to create a truly wonderful atmosphere. It’s one of my favourite songs on this list and I’m sure fans of the genre will love it if they give it a chance!

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