Since their formation in 2021, Merseyside pop-rock band The Dream Machine have proven themselves as one of the most unique and exciting new bands to hail from the UK. The group’s third and latest release, Fort Perch Rock, proves to be no exception, with eclectic riffs and a psychedelic soundscape that pushes the boundaries of their Phil Spector-esque tone.
Fort Perch Rock hits the ground running with its first single and title track, an energetic surf-punk jam reminiscent of the fresh coastal air of New Brighton, where the titular fort presides. The track’s wiry guitars evoke such a vibrant energy that you can’t help but want to dance; yet the record tears this feeling away with its second single ‘Flowers On The Razorwire’, a tragic yet introspective tune about a love once lost underscored by Zak McDonell’s melancholic vocals.
Nostalgia is the record’s central theme, whether that be a desire for the familiarity of one’s hometown, or a longing to repair a broken-down relationship. But nostalgia is not only illustrated through the record’s sentimental lyrics. By densely layering their tracks with fuzzy guitars and vast instrumentation, The Dream Machine’s sound is comparable to the feeling of a distant memory.
Fort Perch Rock is excellent at inspiring a whirlwind of emotions; the album’s third track and single, ‘Things That Make Us Cry’, is a wistful track driven by its haunting piano that is evocative of a subdued romance. The very next track and latest single ‘Angel Heart’ is a fast-paced post-punk groove with an energy that elicits the energy of indie darlings such as Fontaines D.C. or The War on Drugs. The diverse chaos between tracks is enough to give the listener whiplash yet keep them yearning for more.
The Dream Machine’s versatility is incredibly apparent on Fort Perch Rock, as the album exhibits a plethora of styles and genres that change from track to track; ‘Duck Bone Fever’ is an esoteric homage to classic New York punk, whilst ‘Joe’ is a sombre and hypnotic ballad, the earworm of a chorus juxtaposed by its heartbreaking lyrics exploring the deep cataclysm of loss.
However, perhaps the greatest demonstration of The Dream Machine’s signature sound is the 8-minute penultimate track, ‘The First Bird’. The song is groovy and mesmerising, with its reverberated guitars building an entrancing psychedelia that are neatly contrasted by McDonnell’s dissonant and screaming vocals that hold parallels to early metal vocalists such as Ian Gillan. The dichotomous timbre works to create one, complete whole; a spacey and progressive epic that serves as an apt presentation of everything The Dream Machine excels at.
The album ends on an acoustic finale, ‘Best Days Of Our Lives’. Beautiful and serene, the song feels like the resolution of a long and winding journey, the light at the end of the tunnel for an album that, whilst uncompromising, grips the listener with its variety and challenges them to seek out the beauty within the madness.
With emotional highs and lows, a gripping tale of nostalgia and heartbreak, the ethereal multitude of noise and effects and the unpredictable angle that each track takes, The Dream Machine have truly outdone themselves with this release. Fort Perch Rock delivers the greatest collective microcosm of the Merseyside band’s best qualities, and how their sound might evolve in the future should be considered a thrilling prospect by all.
Samuel Monk
