Self-released, April 1, 2020
Sex Dream find the sweet spot between buzzing punk energy and catchy pop goodness.
Sex Dream is the new Chicago-based project from Andrew, Tmmie, Zach, and Russian transplant Maria Surfinbird. They play a buzzy brand of pop punk that fits alongside a lot of 90’s pop punk like Riverdales or The Queers. And Maria, the singer, puts together some catchy and sometimes surprising melodies. She sings in a controlled tone, reminding me a little bit of something you might hear from Shonen Knife or The Muffs at their most innocent.
Candle On My Skin is the debut from Sex Dream and the seven songs given as an offering do a pretty good job of hitting that sweet spot between pop memorableness and punk angst and aggression. Originals like “Madness Girlfriend” play around with dynamics, going back and forth between muted guitars and loud guitars. The chorus sticks and the boy backing vocals playing off Surfinbird’s leads add a cool layer to the memorable melody. The title track is another ripper. It’s one of the faster songs on here and the guitars go for a more full throttle buzz without losing the hooks. There’s a great girl/boy dynamic to the vocals again and a cool lead guitar closing things out. But my favorite on here is the opener, “Lydia vs Daleks”. This song brings more buzzsaw guitars at a Ramones pace. When it gets to the chorus, the chord progression caught me by surprise and the melody wouldn’t leave my head. The cymbals on this one also hit just right. It’s fantastic.
Sex Dream also throws a couple of covers onto Candle On My Skin. Both are ridiculous choices. “Meow Mix” does an interpretation of the “Meow Mix” commercial song from twenty or so years ago and is somehow the more reasonable cover (and my favorite). The energy is infectious, the sugar rush is brimming with goofy charm, and really, it works as a sort of dumb bubblegum song on its own. The other, “Oops! I Did It Again” holds tight to the song structure of the Britney Spears original (from what I remember), but shoots it through with a pop punk energy. Honestly, it’s ok, certainly not my favorite, but it’s likely to be as close as I’m going to get to liking the song.
When it all wraps, Sex Dream have a pretty good thing on their hands. There’s nothing world-changing or revolutionary about this. It’s simply pop punk done well. Sometimes that’s all it needs to be.
You might like this if:
- You like buzzing punk and fetching hooks; you know, like Ramones
You might not if:
- You like your punk rock angry or serious, not silly and fun
ryan is a reviewer and news editor for TGEFM. He’s very secretive, he might be an alien.
