Breezy, upbeat, and catchy as hell – both Dreamgirl “Sometimes” and The Lighthouse And The Whaler “Future Blind” will have you hitting Rewind over and over (and over!). Both are available as DLC this Thursday in the Rock Band Music Store.
“Sometimes,” the 2021 single from Kansas City, Missouri-based quartet Dreamgirl is less than two and a half minutes of breezy, sugary indie-pop that’s sure to put a smile on your face and calmness in your heart.
Singer Lacy Hopkins kicks off the track with her impressive pipes supported by jangling, shimmery guitars over a jaunty rimshot-heavy drum pattern. The vocals and overall instrumentation create an airy, ethereal vibe, that’s immediately both inviting and otherworldly. Throughout the first verse, Dreamgirl convincingly establishes a breezy aesthetic, which continues through to the full-band stop at :29 that punctuates the transition into the second stanza. Here things pick up the intensity somewhat – though, to be sure, this is still very much drifting, sugary dream-pop of the highest order. The bass line becomes a little less sparse and now the drummer is fully connecting with the beat through assertive snare hits. A reasonable question when considering “Sometimes” is: Which part of the song is truly the chorus? The lyric containing the word “Sometimes” comes at the conclusion of what would reasonably be identified as the verse, while what melodically registers as the main hook (and, ergo, the chorus – right?) happens at the beginning of the next verse. The sort of “structureless structure” of the cut fits perfectly, however, with the lush sonic construct, overall. To appreciate “Sometimes” is to surrender to the sound and ambience of the track – it doesn’t matter what “part” of the composition we’re in at any given point; the pleasure is in letting it envelop and surround you.
At 1:26 begins a fairly lengthy guitar lead that’s dripping with delay and chorus, glistening and shimmering notes that ride above, beneath, and within the chord changes. After a tasty drum fill at the two-minute mark, Hopkins’ voice returns – this time for a slight twist on the established melodies, which serves as a lovely coda to “Sometimes” before the song concludes at a taut 2:21.
What’s the single *about* you ask? When “Sometimes” was first released, Hopkins shared, "I wrote it out of pain, but it has come to serve as a reminder that I am capable of loving people. I hope it reaches people who struggle to see themselves as both loving and loveable…" This gentle, soft slice of indie-pop unquestionably succeeds in crafting a sense of supportive tranquility, certainly capable of incubating feelings of love and self-love, so: success!
When Lighthouse And The Whaler dropped “Future Blind” on an unsuspecting fan-base on May 4, 2018, the band shared, “Surprise! We released a new song today!”
Such upbeat playfulness is mirrored in this bright, lush folk pop gem’s thoughtful composition and cheerful performance. Starting off with chiming, reverb-heavy guitar strumming and atmospheric keyboards, more and more components are added – first kick drum, then syncopated bass, and then at :18 vocals. Singer-guitarist Michael LoPresti observed at the of the track’s release, that “’Future Blind’ is more synth-driven. We didn’t want to lose that element of our music.” They certainly didn’t, as the synth pads pretty well define the cut’s lush, dreamlike quality. The first verse sees LoPresti dodging and weaving in and out between sporadic snare-drum tattoos and deliberately placed bass accents before, at :53, we reach the first chorus and the entire group settles into a steady groove. It’s a wildly infectious refrain made all the more hooky with a decidedly danceable four-on-the-floor beat and choir-like background vocals. Following that first chorus, The Lighthouse And The Whaler dial things back a bit, ceding the spotlight to a gentle guitar figure, before launching into the second verse which very much mirrors the structure of the first. The second go-round of the chorus is every bit as enjoyable and memorable, but this time when it concludes the song enters into a super-moody middle section that certainly satisfies the desire to keep the synth element of The Lighthouse And The Whaler on equal footing with all other instruments. From there, we revisit the main refrain a few times before, once again, the band takes their collective foot off the pedal and allows the keyboards and delicate, FX-heavy guitar to re-establish the roomy, buoyant vibe before winding down to a conclusion at the 3:55 mark.
Throughout “Future Blind” the Cleveland quartet – the aforementioned LoPresti, brother Matthew LoPresti on drums, bassist Ryan Walker, and keyboardist and guitarist Mark Porostosky – is truly firing on all eight cylinders, delivering a catchy, enjoyable nugget of bouncy indie rock mastery.
Dreamgirl “Sometimes” and The Lighthouse And The Whaler “Future Blind”
are now available as DLC. Both can now be yours for $1.99 each.
VIDEO: Rock Band 4 DLC Week of 12/7: Dreamgirl “Sometimes” and The Lighthouse And The Whaler “Future Blind”
BUY ROCK BAND 4 DLC ON XBOX ONE
BUY ROCK BAND 4 DLC ON PLAYSTATION®4
*Please note that this week’s DLC tracks will be available for purchase on Thursday, December 7th.