New Music: Hawk & Steel – Dreams On TV

Canadian alt-country/indie outfit Hawk & Steel return after a decade with the bittersweet and melodic tones of Dreams On TV.

A taster for the band’s third album, Ain’t Never Movin’ On, it sees the band’s Peter Gardner duet with guest vocalist Charlotte McGee as they detail a relationship that appears to have run its course.

The title of the song plays an important role within the song, as it brings home to the listener the pain at the heart of the lyrics as Gardner and McGee quietly drive home a weary acceptance of where they are now. But the memories of the good times still have a hold, meaning moving on isn’t so easy.

Dreams On TV isn’t a sad song; it is possessed of a stirring melancholy born from the realisation of a narrator’s role in drawing the relationship to a close, a quality amplified by the sax solo from Andrew Greenwood.

Hawk & Steel made their name for their barnstorming live performances, but they show a different, more mature side to their music here, looking back to their early days, such as the 2015 Anywhere But Here album, taking stock of the past and present, and moving on to a new future for the band.

The band is currently preparing to return to the gigging side of things, and it’s fair to say that Dreams On TV is going to be a high point of their live sets. It’ll certainly go down well with fans of Lambchop or The Boss.

Ain’t Never Movin’ On is set for release on the 26th of June, 2026. Dreams On TV is now streaming on Bandcamp, Apple Music, and Spotify – for album news and other listening options for Hawk & Steel’s music, connect with the band on Instagram.

Header photo by Tyson Elder