This is a TGEFM reader-submitted review. It may have been edited for content, spelling, or grammar but otherwise reflects the thoughts and opinions of the submitter.
Review by Andrew Elderbaum
Self-released – 14 Dec 2021
Yeah you’ve heard this before… but you probably liked it then, too.
Have you ever been shopping and randomly saw a candy bar you used to love as a kid on the shelf? You’re totally shocked they even still make them because you haven’t seen or heard of them in decades? You buy it out of a sense of nostalgia and look forward to getting in the car and taking a bite. Then you get there, take that bite and it’s just not the same? What Dreams May Come is the candy bar that while edible, just leaves you remembering when it tasted so much better to you.
Grim Deeds (aka Dustin Umberger) is a prolific songwriter, and in interviews has likened his process to a job. If you write songs, well then you write songs and pump them out consistently. This EP seems to be the product of that workman-like attitude. The songs are solid, and listenable, but there’s nothing special here. It’s a decent writer meeting a deadline type of feel.
The opener “Private Room” immediately reminded me of buying old pop-punk compilations and stumbling across The Young Hasslehoffs. Unfortunately most of What Dreams May Come lacks the fun and energy of those late 90’s gems. The remaining songs blend together into a generic Joe Queer/Dr. Frank sort of elevator music. The exception is the closing track “Halloween.” Lyrically the song tells an interesting story that many of us will relate to and musically it’s a little darker and more dynamic than the rest of the album.
I’ll probably never listen to Grim Deeds again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to avoid his work either. What Dreams May Come is totally OK and that seemed to be all Mr. Umberger was shooting for. If you do check it out, listen for the “Glycerine” chord progression in “Private Room”… good times.
