Discover: 10 Dazzling Dream-Pop Songs to Brighten Your Week

10 Dazzling Dream-Pop Songs to Brighten Your Week

Few subgenres – if any – of alternative rock offer as much beauty and lush lyricism as that of dream pop. Artists of this genre offer atmospheric soundscapes characterized by ambient textures, faint melodies, and not uncommon mystical themes and imagery. Amid the hectic work week, the busy studying for midterms, or the last-minute meetings, take a deep breath and kick back with this handful of relaxing dream pop songs guaranteed to eliminate some of the stress of everyday life. 

1.    Breakfast in Fur – Portrait

New York band Breakfast in Fur released their sophomore album, Flyway Garden, earlier this year. They recorded their first EP at home before signing to Bar/None Records in 2011. ‘Portrait’ is a gorgeous track perfect for winding down at the end of a long day.

2.     A Sunny Day In Glasgow – Crushin’

Shoegaze-inspired pop band A Sunny Day in Glasgow emerged in the mid-2000s with ambient sounds inspired by the likes of My Bloody Valentine and other 90s underground acts. The band formed when Philadelphia native Ben Daniels returned home after spending a few years in the UK. He then began recording songs with vocal help from his sisters Lauren and Robin. Their 2013 album, Sea When Absent, was released to much critical acclaim for it’s lovely melodies and jarring contrasts of sound.

3.    Washed Out – All Over Now

Ernest Greene worked with a number of similar dance-pop bands before forming electronic-influenced project, Washed Out. His recordings have been noted for their drowsy distortions and vintage-synth style beats. ‘All Over Now’ is the closing track from his most recent album, Paracosm.

4.  Melody’s Echo Chamber – I Follow You

Paris-based musician Melody Prochet had already worked with a number of dream pop bands before starting Melody’s Echo Chamber in 2012. When her previous band toured with Australian rockers Tame Impala in 2010, Melody bonded with frontman Kevin Parker, who agreed to help her produce her first album as Melody’s Echo Chamber. ‘I Follow You’ has become a modern indie-rock classic.

5.    No Joy – Hare Tarot Lies

Montreal girl rockers No Joy gained attention recently when Bethany Cosentino (Best Coast) called them the best new band. They have since then released two albums on Best Coast’s label, Mexican Summer, and have toured with a variety of other notable acts. ‘Hare Tarot Lies’ is a surreal track that paints the picture of a perfect daydream layered in sonic imagery.

6.     Pure X – I Fear What I Feel

Austin, Texas band Pure X have become known for their thick guitar distortions and emotionally dark recordings. While their debut release, ‘Pleasure,’ gained acclaim for its drone of hazy shoegaze tones, their releases since then have taken a more lighter, dreamier flair. ‘I Fear What I Feel’ is a melodic track from their second album, 2013’s Crawling Up the Stairs.

7.     Tame Impala – It Is Not Meant To Be

Even modern psych-rock giants Tame Impala have been known to get in touch with their dreamier side. The opening track to their fantastic debut album, Innerspeaker, is an absentminded track bursting with color, hopelessness, and a daydream-y sense of building castles in the sky.

8.     The Clientele – Reflections After Jane

No band – except for perhaps Galaxie 500 – reached the same tones of Velvet Underground-inspired nostalgia better than London band The Clientele. Instead, they borrowed the hazy summer warmth of familiar 60s records and blended it into a sound of their own. In 2014, Merge Records reissued the classic Clientele compilation, Suburban Light, in conjunction with the label’s 25^th anniversary.

9.     Cocteau Twins – Lorelei

Time to throw it back for a moment with a glossy track from Cocteau Twins’ 1984 album, Treasure. When exactly did the subgenre of dream pop originate? Perhaps in the early 80s, perhaps earlier, but leaving my answer within this captivating little tune is as good a guess as any.

10. The Verve – Feel

British rock icons The Verve released their first EP in 1992 with a sound that isn’t exactly reflective of their later hit, ‘Bittersweet Symphony.’  In fact, Richard Ashcroft & Co. started out forming an experimental sound of their own, which early critics dubbed as “space rock.” In reality, it was just a psychedelic-inspired take on the then-evolving dream pop subgenre. Label it or not, this band’s early catalogue is a goldmine of tunes that will allow you to escape from reality, if only for a little while. The ten-minute epic ‘Feel’ is amongst their most underrated.