Sweet Disaster- DREAMERS

Nick, Nelson, and Jacob- the members of DREAMERS- are three of the best people I have ever met in my entire life. This band is unbelievably positive in a world seemingly full of negativity, and that's something that I admire them for. Life as a band- especially one that isn't phenomenally popular- can be tedious and annoying, but they don't complain. Their only goal with their music is to be able to continue making it; they don't seem to be worried about becoming rich off their music, they just want to make enough money to keep doing it. They make music that they are proud of, and everything other than that isn't at the forefront of their minds. This is a group of guys who have found something that they love doing and just want to be able to follow their dreams.

The band's EP, You Are Here, features five of my favorite songs of all time. They are all unique and beautiful in their own way; I have a very difficult time choosing a favorite song of theirs because they're all so amazing. I felt a deep, emotional connection the first time I heard "Wolves (I Got You)"; I felt like this song was meant for me the first time I listened to it, and I may or may not have cried while listening to it on more than one occasion. DREAMERS' music has a way of applying to every situation and mood I'm ever feeling perfectly; they make me feel like I'm not alone and someone else knows what I'm thinking.

I have been waiting for a long time for DREAMERS to release a full-length album and we are finally going to get that with This Album Does Not Exist which is coming out in August. The first single off this album is "Sweet Disaster"; it was released by the band when they announced their new album. The fans immediately fell in love with the new song and the band was responding to praises of their new single on social media for a good portion of the days following its release. There's a little group of fans that are always there for DREAMERS through social media- most often Twitter- and for the small size (when compared to other bands) they do so much for this band. The band's van was broken into in Los Angeles- for the second time in their career- and a fan (Makenna) created a GoFundMe and raised $1,110 in five days from 35 fans to help the band buy new equipment to continue their tour with the least amount of stress. These people genuinely care for and love this band, and I believe the band reciprocates those feelings.

I loved this song from the first time I listened to it, and that love has only grown with each listen since. The lyrics in this song are so beautiful; I would tattoo this whole song onto my back if I were asked- no question. I love the guitar on this track; it is the aspect of the song that is most apparent when you listen, but without the rhythmic synchronization with the bass and drums the song would be almost hollow. It's difficult to find a song where every piece works together so perfectly in a way that makes it seem like it was meant to be created; these three guys were meant to make music together and this song is so, so sweet and can in no way be described as a disaster (something about these guys make me an extremely corny punster).

I feel like "Sweet Disaster"- along with the majority of their other songs- deals with trying to find yourself and  understand the world around us. The reason I love this band so much is simply that they use their songs to share a good message and follow their own dreams. My favorite line from this song is "some nights feel like every night; this one feels brand new", because that's how I feel at concerts- DREAMERS' show included. I think that's the feeling that were always searching for; we all just want a new and amazing experience that will stick with us for the rest of our lives. We all want to find our own little sweet disaster that is so perfectly imperfect we can't believe it's real.

DREAMERS' Website
Buy "Sweet Disaster" on iTunes
Pre-Order This Album Does Not Exist on iTunes

I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it- The 1975

"Chocolate" was the first song I even heard by The 1975, and- faster than you can say "Matty is an angel sent from Heaven to torture the human races with his beauty"- I was hooked. I loved the way you could hear his accent while he sings, how they mixed multiple genres into one song, and, most of all, I loved how I'd never heard anything that was quite like their music. These four boys out of Winslow, England opened my mind to how a group could sound like they are from the past and the future at the same time. The 1975 have continued to grow in popularity since their conception as a band, but, even though they have some more expensive clothes and a more elaborate live show than when they first began, they are still the reserved, humble band I fell in love with.

This is The 1975's second studio album; their self-titled was released in 2013 and they have released four EP's since then- Facedown, Sex, Music for Cars, and IV. Each song the band has released has shown a lot of thought, time, and creativity, and that is a huge reason why the band has been gaining a lot of success on both pop and rock charts. I'm honestly not sure which genre they really belong in, but I feel like they might not be quite sure either. This group seems to focus on their music first, then their fans, and last the opinions of anyone else. 

Photo Credit: Kristina Dawn

It's completely impossible to ask me to pick a favorite song on this album, but when I listened to it the first time all the way through "Loving Someone" was the song that stuck out the most. It starts out so simple and elegant with vocals, and slowly grows more and more intense until Matty's voice comes in; between it's verse it goes back to the tiny voices repeating "you should be loving someone" before it returns to Matty's singing. The lyrics of this song have a strong message regarding the our society, especially our obsession with technology and celebrities. We- as a human race- need to make connection with one another in person. The Lin that best exemplifies the meaning of this song, to me, is "Besides celebrities lacking in integrity; holding up the status quo instead of showing your kids that they matter..." Social media is a great thing, I love it, but people don't want to talk to the people around them and that's a problem. Our society needs to wake up and realize that we are doomed if you don't make some form of change, even if it's just in your own life. 

You can tell while listening to this album- along with The 1975 and their EPs- that the band spends a lot of time on their music, and they use their music as an outlet for whatever they're feeling. There is no mistaking the raw emotion that Matty exemplifies when he is singing on this album. Each song has amazingly intricate lyrics that are backed by the most perfect music; the tone of the instrumental matches the exact tone of Matty's voice to a point that they sound that they are one combined sound. I like it when you sleep is a collection of 17 amazing songs that come together to create a story of love, heartbreak, loss, and pain; this album is full of nothing but quality lyrics and beautiful melodies. The 1975 create the music that they want to, and don't seem to worry about what others think; that is the way music should be made. 

Photo Credit: Kristina Dawn

The song "Nana" immediately struck a chord with me, because I lost my great grandma- who I called Nana- when I was only eight years-old. She was a very kind and caring woman, but I never really got a chance to know her. "I know that God doesn't exist, and all of the palaver sounding it, but I like to think you can hear me sometimes" was a line that immediately dug into my soul in a way that made this song seem like this song was written for the sole purpose of bringing me some form of comfort. I was raised in a non-religious household in a state full of religious fanatics, and my way to cope with the death of my Nana was to pray. Looking back, I don't think I ever believed in God- at least not in the conventional form- but I was just a little girl who had lost someone close to her for the first time. I have had to deal with more death since then, and I know I'll have to deal with it for the rest of my life; this song so perfectly and simply expresses the emotions of losing someone close to you. A lot of why I love this song so much is person, but isn't connection what music is all about? That's what it is about for me. The instrumental in the song is so quiet that it's seems to be barely brushing the lyrics; it adds so much to the song while being so small. This song is just a beautiful a piece of artwork that 

The 1975 are touring all over the world right now- not to Utah, of course 😒- so they are very busy boys, but they always make time for their fans when they can. Matty Healy once said, "We kinda wanted people to fall in love with the band the same way you fall in love with a person- the more you get to know about somebody over a longer period of time, the more you both invest in the relationship"; I think that's the most genuine and beautiful statement about a band-fan relationship. I'm here to tell these amazing musicians- Matty, George, Adam, and Ross- that I'm invested; I will give you everything I have and I have no doubt you'll return the favor. The 1975 make the type of music that speaks directly to your soul; each song makes you feel things you didn't know you could feel. The 1975 make great music and I hope there is a lot more to come.

The 1975's Website

Buy "I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it" on iTunes
Kristina Dawn's Website

"Younger Than Expected"- Cool Dads ft. Christopher Whitehall

Cool Dads are a duo made up of Jay Bonisolli and Danny Carissimi. The two came together while touring with the band The Griswolds; Danny is the band's tour manager and Jay is handles their merch. Jay has also joined The Griswolds, Magic Man, and Panama Wedding on stage throughout the Hotline Spring Tour to rap during their cover of "Ignition (Remix)" by R. Kelly. Cool Dads seemed have just sort of appeared one day, but I was in love with them from the first time- and I already loved Stoopid Danny and Hot Jay from their previous interactions with me (such as me yelling "I love you, Stoopid Danny" while he was setting up for The Griswolds' set in SLC on The Wilderness Politics Tour; Danny flipped me off). These guys have spent a lot of time together; the two have obvious chemistry and they've used that to create this music.

So far, Cool Dads have only released this single and a three-track EP titled  The Cool Dads EP . They wrote and recorded their EP while on tour with The Griswolds. They utilize all aspects used in popular music right now; their songs contain sampling, rapping, sick beats, vocal layering, and all of this is used to build a platform for their topical, humorous lyrics. Each song is full of personality and creativity. The Griswolds have been very supportive of their tourmates' endeavor and the fan base has rallied around Danny and Jay's new music. The Cool Dads EP and "Younger Than Expected"can be found on the pair's Soundcloud page.

Cool Dads recorded "Younger Than Expected" while they were working with The Griswolds on their upcoming album, and they went into another room and knocked out this song. Danny told A Music Blog, Yea? that this song came about during a conversation with Jay about rappers bragging about how young they are, and they decided to write a song about the youngest rapper of all time.  My favorite lines from the song is "step out on the stage and the whole crowd's lit, 'cause you know the school talent show sold out quick" and "younger than a baby, I be chillin' up in Heaven", but this whole song is full of little gems just like those. Chris- lead singer of The Griswolds- heard the song and asked if he could sing on the recording, and pretty soon after that Cool Dads had their newest single. 

My favorite aspect of this song is just the layering of the music; everything just works together seamlessly and leads something music experts call an eargasm. Chris' adds a certain je ne sais quoi to this song that it wouldn't have had otherwise; he makes the song something you could dance and groove to, instead of a straight up rap song. This song- with the exception of the satiric lyrics- sounds like something that could be released by an artist like Mod Sun, The Chainsmokers, or Blackbear. The Griswolds helped with the production of the track, and that allowed "Younger Than Expected" to sound professionally mixed and produced in a way that makes it something that could be used on a song featured on the top of the Billboard charts.

The group may have started as- and continue to be- a joke, but they make good music that I enjoy listening to. These two are constantly interacting with their fans via Twitter and other social media outlets, and they are always willing to take pictures with fans at The Griswolds' shows. They are some of the most genuinely nice and cool (no pun intended) people I have met, and I wish them all the success in the world. Cool Dads has not said whether or not they will be making more music in future, but- based on Jay and Danny's enthusiasm about the project- I believe there is more to come from this hip-hop duo. I'm really glad these two sweethearts are my Cool Dads.

Cool Dads' Soundcloud Account
Jay's Twitter Account
Danny's Twitter Account
Cool Dads Street Team Twitter Account (Fan Run)