Clearly, new label Prosthetic Records agreed, snapping them up swiftly to embark on the journey that became their second album, In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You. The band stated very clearly that they never set out to make Modern Grotesque 2, and without beating around the bush, they’ve succeeded by every metric. While its predecessor took shape in a stop-start process as the band refined their lineup and sound, In My Saddest Dreams… is their first time consciously writing a full album and it shines for it.
‘Good Reasons to Freeze to Death’ opens the album with a post-rock swell, from jangly guitars into a bloodletting, screamed chorus. At once conjuring thoughts of MONO along with Touche Amore and moments of Deafheaven, it’s an arresting start to the album that, while not revealing Dreamwell’s whole hand, sets the stage for the emotionally fraught, beautiful album to come. ‘Studying the Greats in Self-Immolation’ flows naturally from the opener, gently serene guitars building through its opening ninety seconds to a furious conclusion. Even from just two songs, this is already a very promising album.
While the moods ebb and flow and emotions change, the band balance it masterfully; ‘Lord Have MRSA On My Soul’ sees vocalist KZ Staska switching between a vulnerable melodicism and vicious shrieks, particularly when drummer Anthony Montalbano pushes the song into blastbeat territory, echoing the frenetic chaos of Botch or the blackened majesty of Deafheaven. It’s extremely clear that it’s an album where Dreamwell truly flourish creatively. They set up clear parameters throughout the album that, rather than hinting at their own take on the genre, allow it to grow and be nurtured.
‘Obelisk of Hands’ veers between disorienting time signatures and a soaring chorus, guitarists Aki McCullough and Ryan Couitt providing a panic-stricken backbone, while ‘It Will Hurt, and You Won’t Get to Be Surprised’ acts as one of the emotional pillars to the album. Staska’s performance is haunting, blistering breakdowns accentuating the delivery of their barbed lyrics that cut deep. While it feels like a natural end point, there’s five more songs yet; part of the beauty of In My Saddest Dreams… is how they don’t feel forced, that this is merely the conclusion of the first half.
Reverberations of a Sickly Wound’ is an interlude of sorts, gradual swells of guitar and spoken word samples in its opening half that gradually quieten again before ‘Blighttown Type Beat’ erupts with renewed fury. The album ends with ‘Rude de Noms (Could Have Been Better, Should Have Been More)’ which is both a mouthful of a title and the longest song at over 7 minutes. What it isn’t, however, is meandering or overlong; instead, it’s a stark meditation on the preceding 40 minutes of beauty and savagery that dares you to take one last look into the open wound that is In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You.
It feels impossible to accurately sum up what Dreamwell have created here; both a cathartic exploration of relationships while living with Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as a musical odyssey that’s not a refinement on their sound but an expansion. At almost fifty minutes, In My Saddest Dreams, I Am Beside You isn’t a short undertaking but it wastes none of its time, nor will it waste a second of yours. A masterful study in their take on the genre, as well as a harrowing exploration of mental illness and the toll it takes on us and our loved ones.