What a pleasure to have something new from Dream State! Following on from most recent single “Hand In Hand”, new single “Primrose” sees the Welsh band continue their connective approach to finding a path out of struggle. Premiered on BBC Radio 1 last night, the single comes as a standalone release for now. Though presently tight-lipped, Dream State have revealed that they’ve finished recording their debut album with Dan Weller (Enter Shikari, Babymetal, Bury Tomorrow), so further information is bound to be just around the corner!
“Primrose” is a piece of music that feels like a fever dream; of feeling trapped and confused within your own reality and digging deep to get through it. It’s brilliantly visually expressed in an otherworldly music video created by Zak Pinchin where vines, dirt, flowers, and different dimensions are presented.
The line “I can feel my only way out is through my restraints now / I wish I had another way” stands out to me; a reminder of a sentiment of ‘the only way out is through’ and how facing fears can eradicate them. It’s not fun though, and understandably we hear Dream State’s vocalist CJ Gilpin vulnerably seek help and release from a higher power.
“God, just give me some release”
Sonically “Primrose” is far heavier and more urgent than you’d expect from its delicate title. It conjures thoughts of a blossom buried in dirt and trying furiously to find the sun. Electronic stutters are where the track begins, before sliding downward into darkness and dirt. With beats ringing in my ears and layered vocals, the dread and fear is palpable, as is the chorus and its soaring upward calls for ‘something please’. “I’m not good” lands heavily, as does the roaring second verse and the clutches the darkness has upon the protagonist/CJ.
An out-of-body bridge and its repeated question of “Why do I keep falling back on myself?” feels like a turning point; where strength and resources are gradually gathered to make a change to the cycle they’re in. With the end of the music video seemingly reversing and returning to where we began, it’s not necessarily feeling like a happy ending.
On cycles, Dream State’s vocalist shared that one of hers is what inspired “Primrose”, saying: “Sometimes life will put you to the test, we can find ourselves in these cycles and they present themselves in different forms. When I thought I had broken one of mine, I found myself right back at square one. I was in pursuit of pleasure despite the negative outcomes and I found myself trapped again.”
CJ also refers to the dive into darkness to break free into something else, saying “Sometimes we have to fall and fall to truly awaken and conquer our egos. There’s still so much we have to learn about ourselves and this is a chance to express my journey and open the door to anyone fighting the same demons. We want you to see that through darkness, light can be found.”
Watch “Primrose” via YouTube below, or find it via your favourite streaming place (and maybe stalk Dream State’s social media for news on that album).
