Album Review: DMA's - 'How Many Dreams?'
DMA’s push the boundaries of genres with their newest album!
‘How Many Dreams?’ Is the DMA’s first album release in three years, following on from their hugely successful ‘The Glow’ in 2020. The album opens with the title track which sees the trio moving to increasingly electronic boarders. With a catchy chorus and a dance feel, the tone is set for the album, DMA’s are not afraid to stray. Swiftly followed by ‘Olympia’, they take their sound closer to where they begun. Guitarist Matt Mason speaks on ‘Olympia’ “Olympia was written for a crowd, and is a dedication to all of our fans, especially the ones who’ve been with us from the start”. Indie-rock at it’s purest, from the infectious guitar riffs to yearning lyrics, set to be a fan favourite on the setlist.
An uplifting and slightly romantic song follows, ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’. Lead singer Tommy O’Dell sings “better in your arms, always”, a song about: embracing others, viewing the future with optimism and finding happiness through the darkness. Sticking with a similar theme ‘Dear Future’ is the next track, an optimistic yet heartbreaking song. The lyrics express a tiredness towards the the world we live in, longing for the future that’s filled with better times. A line in this song that particularly grabs me is “dear future come in, I can tell my friends about you when your gone”, a line that perhaps explores how we long for future happiness, then live reminiscing the past, never in the now.
‘I Don’t Need To Hide’ is the moment in the album for Tommy O’Dell to show off his voice, with a stripped back intro, the listener gets the opportunity to hear vocals engulfed by emotion. A song about the comfort and confidence one obtains when feeling loved unconditionally. ‘Forever’ explores love, trying to fathom the emotion and how to continue on picking yourself back up. “How do we find love because I’m loosing piece of mind”, longing for a forever with someone yet not knowing how to obtain it. Another incredible guitar riff is created in this album with the track ‘Fading Like A Picture’. Moving into the classic indie-rock sound for an upbeat crowd pleaser, certain to get people dancing.
Introduced with a soft piano ‘Jai Alai’ starts out with a cynical outlook on love, as the song picks up, with the introduction of guitars and drums the lyrics match, becoming more positive and embracing love. A personal favourite of mine follows ‘Get Ravey’. A standout from this album is in Matt Mason’s guitar work, shinning in this song. A catchy and energetic song DMA’s fans are sure to love. ‘21 Year Vacancy’ further proves that DMA’s posses the ability to use their personal experiences to create universal relatability. Their artistry is explored, especially to the end of this song, using choppy layered vocals to create such a unique sound.
The last two songs that close out the album see DMA’s leaning further into the electronic sound they have teased before. ‘Something We Are Overcoming’ and ‘De Carle’ go full electronic indie-disco, merging multiple genres to create experimental experience music. ‘De Carle’ being the final song, with a darker vibe feeling similar to rave music. ‘De Carle’ closes the album creating a feeling we’re delving into the unexplored.
DMA’s newest album ‘How Many Dreams?’ Reminisces on their well known style whilst exploring the electronic side they have previously touched on in the past. A blend of genres nobody would of expected, rock, indie and electronic all working in harmony to create a sound only DMA’s possess.
Words by Anna Street
