New Music: Cloud Studies – Dreams About

On Dream About, London-based Cloud Studies use shoegaze and dream pop to great effect, giving it both gravitas and lightness.

Formed in 2024 around an initial nucleus of ex Rodney Cromwell members Adam Cresswell and Martin J Langthorne – they say to “explore the sonic possibilities offered by the large arsenal of effects pedals that they had acquired” – the band has become something more in the meantime.

You can hear that on Dreams About: while shoegaze is the dominant sound in the arrangement, Cloud Studies shift the sonic spectrum to reflect some of the genre’s antecedents. The pace of New Order, the jangle of The Smiths, and the slowly dissolving melancholia of The Durutti Column each play a role.

The vocals initially present the track as a love song, but soon transform it into a distinctive blending of light and dark, more akin to a duel than an embrace. I’m not sure if it’s a happy song, but if you’re a fan of British indie music of the last few decades, you’ll find a lot to love in Dreams About.

The band says about the lyrics, “Dreams About is a song about escaping the drudgery and loneliness of the daily grind by dreaming of unrequited lovers, while dropping prescription drugs to numb the pain.”

Dreams About is now streaming on YouTube Music, SoundCloud, and Spotify. Keep in the loop with Cloud Studies by following them on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

Cloud Studies are Adam Cresswell on vocals and bass; Martin J Langthorne on guitar; Kirstin Isolde Lavender on vocals; and Adrian Taylor on guitar. Drums on Dreams About are courtesy of Nat Guest.