Bouquet - In A Dream ep

In a Dream is suffused with a charming innocence that makes one feel like rock 'n' roll, punk, and all the rest of it never happened. It's a love letter to a simpler time that may have never existed, but which everyone believes in. There aren't a lot of ideas on display, but for such a short release, many ideas aren't necessary, and the few presented are solid and well executed.

The EP leads off with its title track, a slow, languorous reverie that showcases the central strengths of the entire set: Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs' dulcet voice, muted harmonizing from bandmate Max Foreman, a basic drum machine beat, and intermittent, gentle guitar strumming. It's followed by 'Stacks on Stacks', a dream-pop tune, if someone had traveled back to the 1950s to write it for the slow dance at a high school prom. It relies on long drones punctuated by delicate guitars and mellotronic tones. More than the other songs, it highlights how Riggs' voice is a throwback to a bygone era.

'Come to Your House' leads with some slightly more aggressive guitars, and puts the keyboards to the forefront, with some really tender melodies combined with deeper, throbbing bass notes. 'Over Mountains' features the most guitar work, with a consistent melody as opposed to the sparser work of other tracks, and sounds like it's taking place inside a church with the background organ and etheral, echoing quality of the vocals.

'Falling' begins and ends as an a cappella piece, with the pair repeating "falling" over and over again. Spliced into the middle is an upbeat section that's almost a different song. The overall effect is to remind the listener that, yes, the voicals are the central focus of the music, and for good reason. To be clear, there's not a lot of variety here, but the EP is short enough that it doesn't wear out its welcome. And the music can border on somnolent due to its slow pace and oh-so-airy vocals. Still, it's quite agreeable overall, and there's little to complain about.