Track: Hidden Girl
Musical Duo: Dreams of Empire
Genre/s: Shoegaze/ DreamPop/ IndiePop
Today’s Track of the day is from Musical Duo, Dreams of Empire. This double act hail from Brighton, England and blend Shoegazy guitars with Dream-Like IndiePop melodies. ‘Hidden Girl’ is taken from Dream of Empire’s forthcoming album.⭐️
Hidden Girl: Following a snarl of electric guitar, a really memorable riff kicks in. It’s melodic and with the bass and drums has plenty of bounce and character. The riff has a particular poppy ambience and although has a very bright, contemporary character, also has that sub-psychedelic charm of ‘Split’ era Lush and ‘Leisure’ era Blur, even Inspiral Carpets in their more Baggy moments. The bass spears out, taking prominence away from the guitar which first commanded the riff. There’s a sense of anticipation, an ever so slight music deconstruction, creating plenty of space.
Lots of ideas are flourishing in the short, but lively introduction. There’s zero sense of a smart riff being overused. Then the vocals fall in. A soft, yet projecting female voice at the front of the mix, yet ethereal and dream-like simultaneously. The pulsating bass and reverby guitar help guide and enhance as the vocals swell into a pretty harmony.
The chorus kicks in way before the 50 second mark; this in music science, an indication of competent songwriting skills, being frugal with the creativity (rather than repeating an idea over and over again and stunting its creativity- ‘over-celebrating the riff’ is how I describe that!) and open-mindedness to develop and evolve ideas. Within the chorus, this is exactly what happens, as the vocals soar and meander, with guitar railing and wubbering in perfect co-ordination with the voice. The chorus-line is memorable and again, there is a sense of spaciousness, as the guitar gets a moment to spiral-off some short, impressive fret-work. As verse and chorus parts 2 repeat, there are quirks and techniques which set them apart from their previous counterparts: Slight variation in melody; more of a Flange-effect guitar; the occasionally different and well-placed drum-fill. This is what sets Alternative music (such as that created by Dreams of Empire) apart from the vanilla-trappings of manufactured pop. Yes, there is a pop formula adhered to and like a standard but expertly crafted pop tune, Dreams of Empire in ‘Hidden Girl’ are able to create enough hooks, changes and a sense of evolution to keep the listener completely engaged. However, this duo creatively play with the formula, providing variety for the listener and musically, plenty of light and shade. There’s a fuzzed-up solo, which has a lovely crunchy charm; again, it’s not drawn out out and allows the vocals to come back in once more, before the instrumentation crackles and fades.
Verdict: A creatively powerful duo, who create a melody rich DreamPop tune, with soaring Shoegaze guitar in symbiosis with a strong female voice that fires out memorable vocal hooks. Added into the mix are smart bass lines and a dancy, almost Baggy beat. This is one tune you’ll be singing in your sleep!
Below are various links to ‘Hidden Girl’ so you can experience the song on your preferred listening platform. There’s also a link to the colourful and dreamlike music video of ‘Hidden Girl’ on Dreams of Empire’s YouTube channel. As always, if you haven’t heard this song before, I hope you enjoy it!😀
⭐️Listen to ‘Hidden Girl’ by Dreams of Empire:
☀️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/0YG2KTE0jZpWyMNWrxgzec?si=TGT1tZSqTuOW5pkvUl4l-g
☀️Bandcamp: https://dreamsofempire.bandcamp.com/track/hidden-girl
☀️Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dreamsofempire/hidden-girl-single-edit
💛Watch the music video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHYjapLQyZI