The term “up and coming” has been prone to overuse in the Perth music scene, but this is a well-founded depiction of Dream Rimmy in terms of the musical quality of their self titled debut EP. The Fremantle based band have been on the scene for a touch over 18 months and in that time have made significant inroads with their instrumentally lush power pop-influenced shoegaze sound. The EP’s five tracks exemplify this musical direction, featuring crisp guitar and synth tones and clean, harmonised vocals tied down by a restrained but immaculate rhythm section.
To this end, the key strengths of Dream Rimmy’s sound on this EP is how these components are arranged into quite absorbing soundscapes, particularly prominent in tracks like “Sunshine” and “Otherside”, which both feature tastefully sparse guitar work making good use of “strip back, build up” dynamics. The trade off is that on a number of occasions, this lush instrumentation comes across as overcrowded. Another strength of this EP is just how good it sounds. The guitar tones capture perfectly the power- pop jangle and complement the sweet sounding vocal harmonies and the overall production makes for a cohesive sound.
Unfortunately, this cohesive sound doesn’t feel particularly fresh, let alone like a creative exploration of the late 90s shoegaze/pop that it takes sonic cues from. In this way, it seems a little confined to the parameters of the genre. Fortunately, I can’t honestly say that these weaknesses make this EP any less immediate or enjoyable to listen to and, for that reason, fans of this genre will find its five tracks readily appealing. More importantly, moving forward, Dream Rimmy may well possess the ability to more creatively contribute their genre if they harness the momentum they currently enjoy from their status as “up and comers”.
Words by Wills Pritchard