on by mintysm

Troye Sivan returns with brand new concept EP ‘In a Dream’

With this EP being his first proper release since his sophomore album Bloom in 2018, Sivan offers his most daring and personal music to date. With help from producer Oscar Görres, In A Dream shifts between ballad, club beats and driving bass to create an almost hallucinogenic sound that captures the extreme moods that often come after the disintegration of a relationship. 

Opening track ‘Take Yourself Home’ was the first release from this EP and the track Troye refers to as the ‘best song he’s ever written’. It’s a song about feeling bored of the life you’ve created for yourself. He sings the lyrics “If I’m gonna die/let me die somewhere pretty” with the same tone of unhappiness as Lana Del Rey except slightly more indistinct. His cool sigh of lyrics livened by gospel cries and a shuffling beat—not too disimilar to that of the tech house genre. It’s a slow, surprising progression from chill pessimism to sweaty abandon; like his past work, it doesn’t start explosively but rewards patience. 

 ‘Easy’ is about begging a lover not to walk away. Sivan sure wasn’t lying when he described the song as ‘sadness, but make it a pop chorus’ on social media. The track he co-wrote with Oscar Görres, who also produced, is a heartbreaking tune, but with a massive chorus. The synth pop production that is used allows the chorus to stand out and is in stark contrast with the actual sad reality of the lyrics. Troye has a great understanding of what sound works for his voice and ‘Easy’ is a perfect example of this.

Track 5, ‘rager teenager’ is a melancholy anthem about running into an ex. As a wistful synth melody reaches a crescendo in this track, it becomes impossible for Sivan to conceal how much he’s missed him: “I just wanna go wild/I just wanna do some shit just to try/In your car tonight/In your bed tonight.” However, his head keeps his heart in check, as he knowingly calls himself a ‘ranger teenager’. 

‘Stud’ reflects on body image and  the toxic male beauty standards that proliferate in the gay community: “What’s it like to be so big and strong and so buff?/Everything I’m not but could I still be a hunk to you?” Then whizzing synths and pulsing percussion overtake the track and Sivan’s robotically distorted vocal asks a little more confidently: “You’re into this, right?” As the tempo slows, Sivan’s questions seem less like inquiries and more like attempts at convincing himself that his love interest reciprocates his adoration.

Sivan has strayed from his particular strain of synth-pop, aided by Görres’s production but rather than significantly alter or challenge the singer’s previous approach, In a Dream merely embellishes it.

You can stream In A Dream here:

Spotify –https://open.spotify.com/album/0y3vj8uCV9zNMznlmDMFe4?si=k5bDtrCXSwa13PfgdMEgrg

Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/gb/album/in-a-dream-ep/1523006508

on by mintysm

The Japanese House ‘Chewing Cotton Wool’ EP – Amber Bain releases a stunning new collection of songs in collaboration with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

Bain’s newest addition to their discography, is the first EP since their debut album Good at Falling which was released last year on Dirty Hit. It is also the second piece of work produced by BJ Burton with whom they first worked with on their debut due to the fact usual collaborator, George Daniel of The 1975 was tied up working on the band’s phenomenal 2018 release A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships.

Burton has worked extensively with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver which meant Bain travelled out to the US to work on music at Vernon’s private studio in Wisconsin. This encounter resulted in their latest EP ‘Chewing Cotton Wool’ going full circle in terms of production. It includes Dionne, a track featuring Vernon that exudes a new sense of sureness – which is reflected throughout the rest of this EP. The first single released from Chewing Cotton Wool was Something Has To Change, a potential pop hit with an awfully catchy chorus that you can’t help but sing along to.

The title track then followed, it is in this track that Bain recalls memories of a lost loved one using lyrics like “She’s the sound of your own voice / She’s someone else’s drink”. These lyrics are accompanied by a tinkling of electronic sounds in the background. The final of the four songs, the first on this record is ‘Sharing Beds’ which is comprised of piano and vocals produced using a synthesiser, a familiar sound to fans of both The Japanese House and the 1975 as this track is reminiscent of some of the bands earlier tracks.

Chewing Cotton Wool is an advancement of Bain’s sound but it is an EP that brings the last few years of music together whilst directing listeners toward future possibilities with lyrics designed for the radio. This EP is an indication of Bain’s talent and their ability to produce an incredibly meaningful collection of songs in every release.

on by mintysm

Dream Wife share new video for their new single ‘After The Rain’

The new video, shared by the band on their YouTube channel last month as a form of promo for their latest album So When You Gonna (released July 3rd on Lucky Number), is very different from their usual enthusiastic, pop punk sound and image. Lead singer Rakel Mjöll when speaking about the song over on her instagram (@rakelmjoll) said that the song was originally a voice memo recorded after a conversation she had with her sister who, at the time was going through a difficult pregnancy that ultimately she didn’t want to follow through with. This conversation happened at the same time last year as the Alabama Abortion Ban and The Human Life Protection Act were put into place, thus becoming a starting point for the band to create something which allowed them to voice their anger at the patriarchy for designing a system in which it owns women’s bodies when sometimes it may not be possible to articulate these feelings properly.

The video itself was created in collaboration with Icelandic director Helga Katrínardóttir (@gunnhildurhelga on Instagram) with ideas springing from the band members themselves.

When discussing the video, the band said that they used water as a metaphor in both the song and video to symbolise both the singular & collective experiences of abortion. They mention how all humans are made up of 75% water, creating the idea that all pain is shared pain.

They then said: “It is our choice to craft the narratives of our own lives and fight the restrictions put on us by a society attempting to control our bodies. It’s feeling all the feelings and knowing that the storm will pass.”

In regards to video setting, there was a vast difference in location with Rakel being filmed in the Icelandic countryside and both Bella & Alice in their South London homes. However, this was in fact purposeful to show both the singular and collective experience of this situation. The interior and exterior shots also show on a drastic level the different ways the band member’s home countries have mobilised in response to the current pandemic and how important it is to function collectively during times of dislocation.

Dream Wife are set to tour So When You Gonna in both The UK and Europe next spring and you can find tickets to all dates here: https://dreamwife.seetickets.com/tour/dream-wife