Dream Dali, the dark psychedelic three piece, have blessed our ears with their new single ‘Little Lights’.
Even though they don’t have a huge body of work behind them yet, what they have already put out made me an instant fan. Aldous Emerson (Vocals and Guitar), Rene Huxley (Key Bass and Keys) and William Hobbes (Drums) have an incredible ability to evoke the emotion they have poured into their music when you hear it. The dark and surrealists’ tones leave you feeling like you’re falling into a hypnotic, trance-like state. I can close my eyes and be dreaming in black and white.
I highly recommend watching the music videos they have created rather than just listening to it in the background. The group has a clear talent for matching the vision they have for their music with the visuals that convey their mood. The clip for ‘Little Lights’ uses found Dadaist clips to etch their song in to your mind. It is a clear and accurate homage to the group’s namesake Salvador Dali.
We were fortunate enough to have the chance to discuss the new track, the bands origins and much more with lead singer Aldous Emerson.
Can you tell us about your origins as a band? How did you come together and find the style you wanted to create?
Dream Dali started in the Joshua Tree in the Californian desert. Our parents are all Australian but we moved there when we were young as they wanted to escape their busy and stressful corporate lives. We connected musically and spiritually and Dream Dali started from there. The style came to me after initially doing some deep searching and having some traumatic experiences. I moved to Berlin to find some new inspiration and surround myself with the process as opposed to pretentious success. I also found there is a lot of “toxic positivity” that suppresses real emotion and I wanted to use music to search for vulnerability and healing. The style of dark wave/surrealism really seemed to connect to me and Dream Dali
Sometimes your work sounds like it is the musical version of black and white - which I love - was this a conscious choice?
It was more an intuitive move, as a lot of trippy or psychedelia deals with similar colourful imagery, which is cool but I found something fresh that spoke to my music when I found all these great black and white artists from the Dada and surrealist movement, but also modern artists such as Silvia Grav, who directed our music video for “Hurt Me” and took the shots for the artwork.
Who were your biggest influences on Little Lights? I personally get a major Tame Impala vibe myself.
I actually don’t listen to Tame Impala. I respect them deeply and think Kevin and the band are such talented artists, but I think the similarity comes from having a similar interest in music from the same era, plus incorporating new live electronic elements into a live band. Little Lights was influenced from a vision I had when at Coachella. I wanted a song to start with cyclical riff and then be energised with the drums, but fall down to a different vibe for the chorus. At the moment I am listening to a lot of The Cure, Liquid Liquid, The Doors, Velvet Underground and some European electronic artists.
You recently got the opportunity to play at BIGSOUND, can you please tell us about the process and experience?
We played with some great bands and wanted to bring our show to BIGSOUND and Brisbane as it was our first show in Brisbane. We are a three piece live but have synchronised black and white surrealist imagery and matching lights to try and make an experience live that matches our aesthetic. We were really happy with the show and look forward to playing more. Any more upcoming shows that you can give us the inside scoop too?
We are waiting for the right opportunity at this point. There are plans to go to Melbourne and play Sydney again. We would love to hop on a show with dark wave band or dream to play with The Cure.
Now that we are talking inside scoops, more new music? I find myself left wanting more - one new track just isn’t enough.
Our first single “Hurt Me” is out on Spotify, but I encourage people to check out the video directed by the talented Silvia Grav. As far as music we have an album written but will put it out at the right time. We plan on a new release very soon that will be in a similar energy to “Little Lights”. We have limited edition cassettes available that people can get if DM us on our instgram @dreamdalimusic
Anything else you want put out to the world?
We would love your support so we can bring our show with all the visuals and live energy so we would love if you can follow us. We post not just band content but surrealist and dada art that interests.
I personally love the groups music; it feels so honest and genuine in a way that you don’t always find in every band. Their unique sound is one of my favourite discoveries of the year so far.
Give their work a listen and make your own mind up, but I am already a huge fan. I am waiting with baited breath for whatever they do next, and I am going to make sure I follow them closely.