Dreamwave: Drifter/Moon Dogs
(Velvet Echos/Stolen Body)
LP | DL
Out 20th March 2026
The ever-growing UK psych scene can now add Dreamwave to its ranks. Their debut album sets them out as definite ones to watch.
Exploding out of the traps, Bristol psych-rock band Dreamwave deliver a debut album, a joining of their two EPs, that showcases their skill in bringing together the various styles that flitter across their chosen palette. Whether it is by adding a dose of glam-stomp on the powering Polystyrene Irene, a frenzied reverb-drenched gonzo-garage a-la Osees on the magnificent Moon Buggy, or channelling a more deranged B-52s on the fantastic Wide Shooter (quite possibly the album highlight), they are clearly having a blast, and it comes across in spades.
They jump, flicker, and flare as they skip from one track to another, always looking to surprise, never to be pinned down. Every listen brings yet another high point as the 12 tracks vie for superiority. There are brushes of more West Coast psych on Calling All The Time. The reverb-drenched guitars, primitive drums, and compressed vocals floating over the top result in a song that drifts in through a haze, a call from a hidden land, a hand reaching out to pull you further into the album. That it then drops delightfully into Clad King, an even dreamier prospect that recalls some of Night Beats’ more recent output, makes the transition, the journey even smoother, repeated again as the trip into the beautiful Dragging The Rain Down.
Their EP Moon Dogs was originally released last April, and it is in celebration of their new EP, Drifter, that sees this combined release. Kicking off the second half with the aforementioned Moon Buggy, the band proceed to take us on a continued trip. They roll on a great groove on Web Weaver before again allowing their more dreampop leanings to come to the fore on Space Debris. So strong is the song that you would not be surprised to hear it coming out of Damon Albarn’s head. However, Dreamwave’s world is one of, at times, a darker focus. On hearing songs like Murmurs On The Dunes, it is no surprise to know that the band have already shared stages with the likes of Frankie And The Witch Fingers, Wine Lips, and hit the radar of the folks at Sour Grapes, whose Manchester Psych Fest the band will play later this year.
But for every dark corner, very dense moment, every wisp of dreams, the band inject a syringe full of pure joyful abandon, such as on the cracking Over You. It bounds along, brimming with excitement, one final push of bodies to the floor before they sign off with the slow twinkle of Weeping Walk, a reminder that Dreamwave are pulling on a host of threads and they can weave from them whatever tapestry they desire.
Live dates:
27 Mar – Bristol – The Lanes
28 Mar – London – Old Blue Last
24 Apr – Southampton – Heartbreakers
02 May – Hereford – The Jam Factory
12 May – Sheffield – Hallamshire Hotel (w/ Spiral Drive)
13 May – Huddersfield – AMPED (w/ Spiral Drive)
14 May – Norwich – Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom (w/ Spiral Drive)
22 May – Bath – Bath Fringe Festival
05 Sep – Manchester Psych Fest – The Deaf Institute
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Words by Nathan Whittle. Find his Louder Than War archive here.
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