Four in the Morning have released their Debut EP ‘Stress Dreams’. Led by Irish singer-songwriter Kevin Dolan and surrounded by an eclectic group of genre-defying musicians – Kiran Srinivasan, Dan Walwyn and Alex Lees – Four in the Morning write sad songs for insomniacs. As Kevin Dolan puts it: “I’ve always been bad at sleeping, and I find late at night a great time to write. Whether it’s a dream or a song, there’s something beautiful in the subconscious, taking all the stuff from a day and making sense of it. I guess that’s what these songs try to do.” ‘Stress Dreams’ was produced, recorded and mixed by Jono Steer (Angie McMahon, Ainslie Wills, Leif Vollebekk, Julia Wallace) at The Perch Recording Studio in Castlemaine in rural Australia.
‘Stress Dreams’ is a marvellous EP. Four in the Morning define their songwriting to create a moving, multi-dimensional experience full of heart and exquisite musicianship. Their music transports you into a dream-like, sedative world filled with wispy, almost translucent soundscapes. Each track exudes hazy bright tones that create a rosy-hued, memory-like effect between the mellow guitar and smooth melodies. This multi-dimensional sound transcends any genre and is a joy to listen to.
The beautifully melancholic ‘Home Home’ kicks the lucid experience in motion. A soft piano laments beneath Kevin Dolan’s vocals of despair as he pines, “I wanna go home home”. This majestic tune boasts Four in the Morning’s musical prowess as they build on the raw vocals and piano, adding in warm guitars and Irish musical embellishments; these elements lift the song from the stark loneliness displayed at the beginning to give the listener a glimpse into the warmth and joy Dolan longs for as he dreams of returning home to Ireland. This evocative imagery is the EP’s foundation as the band takes us on many mind journeys through the medium of powerful musicianship and eloquent lyrics. From the pulsing heartbeat rhythm in ‘Keep It Together’ to the warm nostalgic melody, dark undertones and striking lyrics in ‘Love in the Asylum’, the band provide a bittersweet escape for the listener to immerse themselves in while dealing with heavy emotional themes “it’s so dark and I’m so scared I’m living in a brain that’s running out of air”.
‘Stress Dreams’ ripples with light fragments of hope between dark emotions. There are themes of loss, loneliness and despair throughout the lyrics; however, at times, glimmers of hope rise above the pool of emotion; sometimes it’s through a cosy caress on guitar as in ‘Good Love’ or time stopping harmonies in ‘In The Dark’. The band never leave us to wallow in the sombreness for too long. They provide a means of coping through refined, and ethereal instrumentation to make ‘Stress Dreams’ quite the compelling listening experience.
Within ‘Stress Dreams’ Four in the Morning capture raw, unbridled emotion through spectacular arrangements and eloquent songwriting. The EP is laid back, passionate, and lays bare dark thoughts and feelings that are deftly expressed through mesmerising and expressive musicianship. It’s a heartbreaking but utterly beautiful collection of songs.
Speaking about the EP Kevin Dolan of Four in the Morning said: “I didn’t really notice until the record was finished how many references to sleep and dreams there were across it. The songs are obsessed with family, longing, stress, depression, love, and how we make sense of all of it. They’re fragments, feelings, and a means of coping.”
Stream ‘Stress Dreams’ below
Author: Danu
