Dreamboats was released seven years ago, a collaborative project between Jordan Hudkins from West-Virginia’s Rozwell Kid and Dave Segedy from Indiana’s Sleeping Bag. The two met while on tour with their respective bands and immediately hit it off. This six track EP was a result of a back and forth email correspondence between the two. This year, the bromance is still strong as they released their follow up, aptly named Dreamboats 2: A Real Chill Sequel.
This collection features both chilled out and energetic tracks. With fuzzy lo-fi guitars and laid back vocals, songs offer a fun and relaxing vibe while staying heavy and full on with the instrumentations. Reminiscent of your favorite Weezer tracks.
The bass chugs on with “Absolutely”, the first track is a loud and dancy tune that sings about getting pissed off by a bully who’s always keeping you down. It features whistly guitar riffs and the vocal oohs that invite you to join in.
“Letterman” continues the light theme as the intro features a recorder lick that could get stuck in your head for a while. With banging guitar riffs and a singable melody, it would fit right in with your power pop song playlist.
“Back to the Future IV” is a sequel movie title within this sequel album. The intro is a futuristic sounding riff and the vocals takes us back in time with a nostalgic 80’s quality. I can tell they especially had fun with this as the song is about stopping the movie from being made in the first place. With all the Hollywood remakes these days, I could see that happening.
The second half of the EP is strictly in laid back territory. “Chiller Instinct” features the same catchy riffs and sweet vocal melodies. The lyrics sings about a dog and a cat just slacking in a room — and I’d bet you’d like to join them while listening to this jam. There’s a music video out for this and it’s with a guy just juggling in a fun run. You can’t be more wholesome than that.
“Let the Spider Chill” features droning guitar harmonies with a heavy banging breakdown. It resolves with a mix of both, giving it a really satisfying end. “Dr. Doom” comes with a dreamy vibe, where the combination of the ghostly guitars and the vocal harmonies really drive us home. The song fades away at the end and sends us off to the distance.
A really good album to listen to while laying down on the couch with your feet up and just having a good time. Dreamboats 2 does not feel like a side project at all, an impressive feat considering Hudkins and Segedy come from two different acts. It reminds us that good music knows no bounds. Check out Rozwell Kid’s bandcamp page and you might snag yourself a limited edition cassette tape along with the digital album.