I’ll cut to the chase: These guys are good. Let’s just say I listened to them a few times for fun. Dreambeaches is a colorful quartet that’s barely a year old. Habits’ cover art does them justice, as does their Facebook promo photo take on fruit salad. This extended play is one that takes you on a trip. The music is unique, serene, and psychedelic. You’ll find yourself indulging in the bass-heavy, rhythmically-inclined songs. RIYL The Shins, Snowmine, Foals, and (at times) Tame Impala.
Habits, the four-piece’s debut release, begins with “Tiny Spirits.” The track starts off with chirping birds. The band follows suit with some chirping of their own. “I’m tired of looking at life through a window,” is sung as the band plays in melodic and rhythmic symmetry. A wet-sounding deep synth keeps the band grounded through the ongoing tumult. Next, “Habits,” is decidedly beach pop. The catchy composition forces your head into a permanent bob. The slick chorus washes over you, even as the goofy vocoder echoes the last line. All in all, the EP’s title track is brilliant, one worth putting on your playlist.
“Soak” begins in Imperial China before it’s taken over by Foals-esque guitar plucking. The drums add to the already percussive tune. Dreachbeaches front man Corey Bzibzïak plays with his appealing falsetto. Soon, the song kicks into an instrumental with brass emphasizing the melody. Time to swing! A vibrating plane of synth can be heard between the headphones. “Soak” quiets to a stripped down arrangement before blasting back into the chorus augmented with monkey screams. “Graduation Day” marks the shortest song on the EP. Immediately apparent is a fuzzy bassline and backbeat drums. Ohs with an interesting filter morphing them take precedence as well. Halfway through the song is a sickly, circus-y guitar solo. The song certainly oozes lament, especially as Bzibzïak declares, “I’m gonna break your heart and run away in the end.”
“Out of Bloom” definitely has Tame Impala vibes to it’s delicious bassline. The tune makes you want to dance, even as the crooning guitars come in. “… Life is just a current we’re all learning to float,” is a well-spun lyric from this song. A choir of “ooo-wahs” lets the imagination soar as a fat kick drum booms confidently. The final chorus demonstrates the band’s vocal layering talent. The skillful singing continues through a fade out in order to support a whistling lead. “Juneau, 2005” is the closing number on the extended play. For their final track, Dreambeaches decides to go acoustic. The song is lightly augmented with a high accordion and is mixed spaciously. Plucking acoustic guitar can be heard in the right ear. “Juneau, 2005” is proclaimed over via sonorous bass acting like a judge’s gavel.
Habits EP is a strong collection of music released by a young, promising Buffalo band. The extended play is available for purchase here, and offered as a free stream below.