DAY & DREAM (USA): Shoegaze duo extraordinaire
Day & Dream is a Shoegaze / Indie band from Ashville in North Carolina. They propose a clever and finely chiseled music, full of clever musical twists.
I listened to their album several times, and while the make up seems, at first listen, quite standard, they cleverly included unexpected sounds, like the jazz keyboard on ‘With Every Breath You Die’, and tinkered happily with the genre’s sound and dynamics. Every listen will uncover new layers … not a common occurrence.
I like the first song and its title: ‘So it begins’ (a sentence that I use often) and its Dream Pop atmosphere, totally unlike the rest of the album, almost like an inside Joke. When ‘Night lights’ starts with a Cure-like bassline, the band display what will be listened to in the album: intricate musical layers bordering on the lo-fi, Abby’s beautiful high-pitched voice, slight dissonance that avoid an ‘easy-listening’ song, feet-taping melodies. And from there you visit various music landscape, all superbly painted.
Needless to say I love this album. Follow me to discover the band with the presentation of their music, an interview and more. You will not be disappointed.
DAY & DREAM’s MUSIC
The band’s music work to date is:
2019: With Every Breath You Die, Album; Fading Summer, EP; Hidden Cinema, Single; Chrysalis, Single
2018: Nocturnal Creatures
Here are some of the songs we love:
Abby and Peter, the band members, give us some insight in their music:
Abby: The first thing ever released was the single “Nocturnal Creatures” which is about moving
to Asheville from Brooklyn.
Peter: The title of our first album “With Every Breath You Die” was a phrase we heard a homeless man yelling on the street when we lived in New York City. He kept screaming it over and over and we both found it super profound. And true. Good reminder to live in the now and choose what makes you happy, even if it’s hard or scary.
Abby: Then there’s “Fading Summer” which has two new songs and our latest single “Hidden Cinema.” All three of these have more of a lounge/lo-fi vibe with electronic drum beats.
You can find a great review by Mountainsx.com of their album, ‘With Every Breath You Die’, HERE
You can also get information on all their upcoming concerts and more on their website.
DAY & DREAM’S INTERVIEW
Who are the group members?
Peter: The core of our band is Abby and myself. We are married and write everything.
Abby: Some shows we play as a duo with an old Ipod. We also play as a full 4-piece band with drums and our buddy Erik on bass.
We have played with a lot of musicians in Asheville and other cities, trying to accommodate everyone’s schedule and adjust for the type of show we are playing. When we started, I think we were dead set on permanent members, but it’s been more realistic this way.
How did you meet?
Abby: Two words - vegan brunch.
Peter: I met Abby in NYC about seven years ago. Later on, we moved to Asheville, NC and met musicians from good ‘ol Craigslist.
How did you come up with your name?
Abby: We had lots of other contenders, but this one felt right. Peter is a morning person, and I am a night owl.
Peter: “Daydream” it’s a common word, we broke it apart and rejoined with an ampersand. Our lives have a polarity to it, yet, we’re joined together by music.
Peter is the day; morning person, grounded and sunny, while Abby is the dream; head in the clouds and dark. Abby came up with the name, at first I wasn’t thrilled about it, but the more I thought about it, I found it to be an accurate representation of us and the music.
What is your music about?
Abby: All sorts of things, diary entries of our life. “First in Flight” is about starting this band, “Nightlights” is about falling in love and losing sense of time and priorities, “Sleepscreaming” is about Peter’s bad dream experiences. “Outside” is an unreleased song about our dog, Zeppi.
We have a lot of material about family, friends/frenemies, and their internal struggles. I do a lot of Stream of Consciousness writing, and sometimes take lyrics from that. I’m also super inspired by children’s books.
What are your goals as an artist artistically/commercially?
Peter: We all have day jobs. It would be amazing to do the band full time and make a living off of it.
Abby: We’d really love to tour/open for one of our favorite bands, and play internationally. It’d be fun to have our music licensed for a commercial or show, and to play a nighttime talk show. That would be the moment we feel we’ve made it. Really, just knowing people enjoy our songs and artistry, that truly does mean the most.
What are you trying to avoid as a band?
Peter: Musical cliches. We try to be different and put our own twist on everything.
Abby: Band drama, drugs, rock n roll. Before a show, we’re not getting smashed. I’m usually doing yoga or in a sauna, and after a show I’m usually eager to go home to snuggle our dog and drink a cup of tea. Grandma rock n roll style for me.
Why do you make the music you make? Is it in you? Is it your environment?
Peter: We both have overactive imaginations. I can’t stop playing guitar and writing songs. Abby is constantly playing piano and singing. It’s totally inside us.
Abby: It can’t be stopped. Music runs deep in my Filipino family, and always comes out in me even when I try to suppress it.
What inspires you for the music or for the Lyrics?
Abby: Nature, travels, life, death, love, pain, humor, all of it - the sweet and salty.
Peter: Sometimes I genuinely don’t know where my ideas come from, they can pop into my head out of nowhere. Other times, I have meditated and slowly ideas and inspiration show up that way. Usually, when I go for a walk or drive, the environment I’m in will present ideas too.
Tell us what you are looking when trying to achieve your sounds. Do you experiment a lot or
have a clear idea of what you want?
Peter: We have a lot of material in the bank. For this last album, it became more about which songs from our song bank do we include on the lineup. I personally like many genres of music, but we wanted to keep it focused. That’s why we had our scope be Indie-Rock, Shoegaze and Dream Pop.
Abby: There is a lot of compromise, especially because our musical tastes and backgrounds are so different. We are pretty harsh critics to one another, but I think it’s a good thing for the end result.
Explain your songwriting process.
Peter: It always starts with the music. I’ll spend time contrasting chords and notes together and see where it goes. Usually I’ll flesh that out into a segment -- like a chorus or verse -- once I have enough segments, it’s like assembling pieces to a puzzle. Then, a song is about to be born if all the pieces fit.
Abby will sometimes help with arrangements and deliver a nice melody. We typically write stream-of-conscious style lyrics, and generally prefer to keep the meaning vague.
Abby: Lots of time on the upright piano - lyrics on napkins, books, or jotted on my phone and computer. I’m constantly jotting lines to future songs in random places. Lyrics/melody are pretty quick if I write the music, can be much longer process and challenging if I’m putting lyrics/melody on music Peter wrote.
Describe your palette of sound.
Abby: A favorite fuzzy blanket after a long walk in the forest.
Peter: Lots of reverb. Mainly the vocals, keys and guitar are the most effects heavy. Otherwise the bass and drums are always dry. Abby has switched from Nord to the Mellotron for a more dialed in retro sound, while I love pedals, and use a lot of reverb, distortion, delay, super chorus and flanger.
Who would you want as a dream producer, and why?
Peter: Probably, Nigel Godrich. He’s just produced so many incredible acts that I respect. I think he would easily get our sound too.
Abby: Bjork for her epic elf wisdom!
If you could guest on someone else’s album, who would it be and why? What would you play?
Abby: I’m a huge fan of Melody’s Echo Chamber, Cornelius, Yo La Tengo, Stereolab, Munya, Yumi Zouma, and Jay Som. I’ll contribute in any way they’d have me, backup vocals, tambourine, cowbell, piano.
Peter: Guitar for King Krule. I think I could write a bunch of great riffs for that band. It would also be loads of fun to play guitar in Hum, sometimes you just want to rock out to something low and heavy.
What musical skills would you like to acquire or get better at?
Peter - cello, drums and piano.
Abby - guitar & bass
Is there a band that if they didn’t exist you wouldn’t be making the music you make?
Peter: Would be Nirvana or David Bowie.
What are some places around the world that you hope to play with your band?
Abby: Paris, London, Milan, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Canada, Australia, & New Zealand.
Peter: The same. Would also add Mexico City, São Paulo, Reykjavik, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid and Barcelona.
When is the next album/EP due?
Abby: We just released “Hidden Cinema” and have lots of music videos we are working on. We plan on recording some new songs in the spring.
Some artists you recommend.
Abby: A newer band I like is L I P S (England). Also: Say Sue Me, Sweet Trip, The White Shoes and Couples Company, Ducktails, Kikagaku Moyo, Painted Zeros, Men I Trust, Sugar Candy Mountain, No Vacation.
Peter: NIIGHTS, Tape Waves, Toledo, Tennis System, Donny Benét, Palehound, Julia Shapiro, Turnover, RINCS, Lacing, Jay Som
Anything else you want your fans to know?
Abby: We love you!
DAY & DREAM ON THE NET
Their music: Spotify, Bandcamp
Their website: dayanddreamband.com. You can check all their upcoming concerts and news there. It is kept up to date.
Their Social Media: Facebook, Instragram
Their latest video:
