DRÆMINGS Stream New Single “Fire In Hell”; April Residency at The Echo in Los Angeles Announced
Los Angeles-based band DRÆMINGS will release their self-titled EP on April 21 via PLAG Records. Today the band revealed the first single from the EP “Fire In Hell” which can be shared via soundcloud or Spotify. The DRÆMINGS EP, which will be available on CD, digitally and on limited edition vinyl, can be pre-ordered now in the band’s online store. All iTunes pre-orders will include an instant download of “Fire In Hell.”
DRÆMINGS will perform live every Monday in April at The Echo in Los Angeles in support of their forthcoming EP. Each night is themed after a different tarot card: High Priestess, Lovers, The Hermit & Fortune. The shows will be supported by Petheaven, Psychic Love, Moon Honey, Dancing Tongues, Brass Box and more. The residency schedule is listed below.
MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2017
Theme: High Priestess
Lineup:
Petheaven
Iress
Holy Wars
DRÆMINGS
MONDAY, APRIL 10 – Presented by DoLA
Theme: Lovers
Lineup:
Easyfriend
Psychic Love
Moon Honey
DRÆMINGS
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017 – Presented by COLLIDE
Theme: The Hermit
Lineup:
Ever So Android
Dancing Tongues
Brass Box
DRÆMINGS
MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 – Presented by Ones To Watch
EP RELEASE PARTY
Theme: Fortune
Lineup:
Cassini
DRÆMINGS
As an outlet for heartbreak, Kimi Recor started DRÆMINGS as a solo project in 2012, and has spent the last several years evolving from vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and sometimes-producer. She wrote, recorded, and produced the five-song Nevada EP over the span of a weekend. It was the first time she had ever released music on her own, rather than as part of a band (of which she had been a member of many). Not long after posting the lo-fi dream pop collection on Soundcloud and playing a few shows around Los Angeles east side, Sumerian Records approached her with a label deal. The relationship started off with excitement on both ends as DRÆMINGS was going to be the label’s first foray outside of the hard rock and metal world and into the radio-friendly alternative space. Despite this honeymoon phase, a subsequent national tour with Night Riots, and a couple single releases, the arrangement began to make Recor feel caged. It took over two years after its completion for DRÆMINGS’ sole Sumerian release, the full-length The Eternal Lonesome, to see the light of day. Recor celebrated the birth of the record with a sold out show at The Echo in Echo Park in August of 2017 and a full west coast tour (including an opening slot for Juliette Lewis), and set her sights on changing the DRÆMINGS story.
The 2017 self-titled EP is akin to a rebirth for DRÆMINGS. Its new evolution brings Recor back to her band-oriented roots, cementing DRÆMINGS as a four piece comprised of herself (vocals/guitar), Thorson (bass/synth), Christopher Vick (guitar), and Nathaniel Meek (drums). The band returned to being independent (the EP will be released on Recor’s own PLAG Records) and wrote DRÆMINGS as a collective, self-titling the EP to make that point clear to listeners. Thorson stepped forward to helm the production and mixing of all six tracks in his Underwater Studios. He says of the process: “Making records gives you a chance to make a futuristic statement, to fabricate an imaginary emotional and conceptual landscape. And when a record is successful, that imaginary space can actually become a real space for people to live in and use in their lives. In that way, I see music production as a highly political art form.
Recor echoes the political sentiment of the new music, stating that the EP as a whole is about “taking back your power, speaking up for yourself, and most importantly speaking up for others…in the past, I would’ve never considered my music political. I’ve always been more introverted and self-documenting when it comes to writing lyrics and songs. But this heavy shift has occurred, and more and more of my songs are turning towards political themes. I feel like my voice hasn’t been heard for a long time, and I know I’m not the only one.”
This is most obvious in “Holy Land,” a song that confronts the alarming rise of fascism and violence against marginalized communities and the earth itself, and reminds us that we need to study the lessons of history and learn from the actions of those who came before us. “We have this whole generation of young people who are being led by the old guard. I can feel the unrest.
The remainder of the songs on the DRÆMINGS EP stray away from the literal and side with the more figurative. “Fire in Hell” and “Great Escape” are the fraternal twin dark and light mirrors reflecting the power imbalance in a relationship and the ways of building yourself back up once you break free, reclaiming your power and your confidence in the process. “Don’t Even Worry” may be the most emotional song on the EP, though not obviously at first, delving into Recor’s reaction to her friend’s suicide attempt and ultimate survival. ends on a surprisingly uplifting note with the borderline new age ballad “Tides,” concluding the EP with additional water imagery and an ode to the strength and endurance of unconditional love.
Thorson perhaps summarizes the new record’s diversity best: “The EP is an aggressive mix of totally different sounds…I want the listener to not know if it’s 1975 or if it’s 2040 when they hear this EP. There’s a lot of love for the past here, but we’ve always got our eyes on the future.”
