Setting the tone with rolling drums, textured cymbals and an evocative guitar melody, [SAMPLE_TEXT] open Poverty Dream with dimensionality and unconventionality, needless to say, we are obsessed.
The opus expands with a guitar protagonist to take us on a psychedelic and subversive journey through reality. Atmospheric vocals delivering metaphorical prose immerse us further as [SAMPLE_TEXT] share thought provoking lyrics, fused cohesively with epic guitar performances.
When asked about the message of the song, [SAMPLE_TEXT]‘s Reece Caldwell confesses, “I’d say it’s really just that I am rather dejected when it comes to the state of corporatism in our culture. That’s generally the topic of discussion in the song, and I wrote the lyrics after reflecting on what I see in advertisements on phones everywhere, and how none of it really matches most peoples’ reality, which is poverty and struggle.”
He continues with depth, “At the very least, I feel it doesn’t match my reality. So I essentially wanted the chorus to read like a satirical gaslighting by a mobile [advert], and how one feels witnessing ads like that from a perspective of poverty. Coming home after a hard day at work, to a small abode, in a racist, classist culture, just to see the smiling faces of an ethnically diverse group in upper middle class situations in an advertisement designed to make you buy things. As aforementioned, that’s hardly anyone’s reality. Considering the divergence in what you are shown versus what you live: It’s absurdity. It’s insanity. And it’s infuriating. And most importantly, it’s there to manipulate you.”
We deeply connect with the ethos of [SAMPLE_TEXT]‘s artistry, and when discussing the soundscape of the album as a whole, Reece says, “We really wanted the album that Poverty Dream is a part of to have a crispy, destroyed, fried-ness to it, and we mostly achieved that by sending any recorded signal through tons of analogue gear and tape.”
Along with Reece Caldwell on vocals and guitar, the core band of [SAMPLE_TEXT] includes Tyler Farrell on drums, and Jacob Marsh on bass. They cite experimental punk-rock from the 80s and 90s such as Slint, Sonic Youth, Joy Division and Swans, as well as Alice in Chains and Nirvana, plus contemporary artist such as Black Midi, Ty Segall, and Viagra Boys as some of their influences, although it is clear that [SAMPLE_TEXT] are creating a universe of their own.
We have added Poverty Dream to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream [SAMPLE_TEXT]‘s wider discography including their 2021 EP, What a Pretty Puddle.