We are Half Dream
Half Dream is a rock n’ roll band based in Austin fronted by songwriter Paige Renée Berry (guitar, vocals), along with Laine Higgins (lead guitar), Wes Armstrong (drums), and Cody Collins (bass). Formed in 2018, Half Dream began with the name and songs of Paige Renée Berry and changed their moniker to reflect the ethereal and collaborative nature of the sound. Paige Berry’s songwriting explores identity, overcoming trauma, & moving past fear. Floating melodies find punch in driving hooks that highlight vocal subtleties, landing somewhere between dream and tenuous reality. These songs were born from a love of storytelling, radical empathy, and unfiltered expression from artists like Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, Helen Reddy, Liz Phair. Half Dream finds its home with fans of Angel Olsen, Big Thief, Wye Oak, boygenius, and Julia Jacklin. The band’s debut EP Monster of Needing was self-released October 13, 2020, and their debut LP Will I Still Bloom? was released October 7, 2023. Half Dream’s newest single “Fly” Out 4/4/24.
Full-length bio HERE
Lead Vocals, Guitar / Paige Renée Berry
Lead Guitar / Laine Higgins
Drums / Wes Armstrong
Bass / Cody Collins
PRESS
Heartland indie rock is Angel Olsen at her fuzziest fronting a gnarlier Mazzy Star - Bandcamp New & Notable on debut LP Will I Still Bloom?
NPR Music @ KUTX Studio 1A Interview/Performance
"If I find myself somewhere in the middle, does that mean I'm just a little less special?/ Will I still bloom?" The Austin dream rockers look at themselves head-on in the mirror on their first release of 2023 and find a blazing existential crisis staring right back. Feverish basslines, soaring vocals reminiscent of Florence Welch, and a relentless drumbeat set the tone for earnest, cathartic angst. It's an aching, explosive listen, a primal shout into the void, and a sincere question to the heavens of what still lies in store.
– Elizabeth Braaten, Austin Chronicle
They are a band who appear in your life and feel as though they have always been there. -Anon Mag
“Adventure Song” is a refreshing and thrilling anthem from what is swiftly becoming one of the most impressive new bands in the city. -Ovrld, Latest Toughs
"You’re all going to love this brand new track from Half Dream; it’s going to keep getting played in your head all week…sorry about that. Paige Berry owns this song; her voice falls somewhere between Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten, mixing heavy tones with angelic sparkle that rises in the mix." -Austin Town Hall, Celia Video Premiere
Berry’s songwriting has a touch of magic to it, and her voice has bite. -Nixie Mag
Between the ongoing coronapocalypse fever dream, self-quarantine claustrophobia, and surreal political exchanges, things may seem a bit lucid right now. But for Knoxville-raised guitarist-vocalist Paige Renée Berry, the idea of overcoming trauma and fear through music is all too familiar. Berry founded Half Dream just a few years after relocating to Austin, united by a shared love of ’70s folk and modern indie, not to mention one heck of a big collective heart. - KUTX 98.9 Song of the Day: Strange Lover
