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We are very pleased to announce that the self-titled debut LP from Richmond’s Dream World is out now on Sorry State! No pre-order on this one… it’s in stock and ready to ship to you right away. The entire record is also streaming on Sorry State’s Bandcamp, so give it a listen there. And if you’re on the west coast, note Dream World is touring your part of the world from July 27 through August 3, so come out and catch a date if you can! Click here for more info on the tour and see below for what we have to say about the album.
Richmond, Virginia’s Dream World follows up their 2024 demo cassette with their debut vinyl, a self-titled LP for Sorry State Records. While Dream World’s songs feature more than enough tom-heavy drumming and shouted, martial vocals to land them firmly within the neo-anarcho-punk scene, what sets the band apart is their commitment to the eclecticism that made the 80s UK anarcho scene so exciting. A ripper like “Yes Man” or the brooding, Killing Joke-via-Amebix-style “Oligarch’s Reality” will get the punks moving, but songs like “Never Ends” and the standout “Submission” show Dream World isn’t afraid of an infectious rock riff; the latter track’s propulsive power chords wouldn’t be out of place on Nirvana’s Incesticide. And then there’s “Soft Rains,” another outlier track built around guitar arpeggios that morph gracefully between creepy, menacing, and gentle, and when the spoken vocals (adapted from a poem by early 20th century American poet Sara Teasdale) come in, it’s a dead ringer for something off Slint’s monumental Spiderland. It’s rare to compare a band to both Amebix and Slint, but Dream World’s organic, eclectic take on punk consistently defies easy comparison and categorization.
Dream World’s self-titled LP is presented in a limited edition of 300 copies with screen printed jackets featuring a stunning new illustration from artist Thomas Sara (Public Acid, Cicada) on the front and a companion piece from Dream World bassist Spazzy on the back.
Recorded at Strange and New Sounds by Jon K
Mixed and Mastered at Dead Air Studios by Will Killingsworth
All songs written and performed by Dream World except for lyrics from Soft Rains taken from the poem "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Sara Teasdale
Front Artwork by Thomas Sara