single: dried flowers
Dried Flowers is the track that opens Half Dream’s LP Will I Still Bloom? And introduces the theme of longing vs. acceptance, reverance vs. release. Listeners may notice the floral theme that runs through the titling, referencing the ephemeral nature of all things. With flowers, with humans, with love—-all things change and end. At what point does nostalgia impede growth? How much of ourselves can exist in the past and grow beyond our present limitations? Like many of the songs on Half Dream’s debut LP, Dried Flowers finds its home in the question—the middle space that allows for all possibilities. Among these possibilities is freedom from that which no longer serves us—clearing out the dead things to make way for a garden that ever blooms.
debut lp: will I still Bloom?
If Half Dream’s EP Monster of Needing asked the question “How did I get here?”, Will I Still Bloom? asks “How do I choose to move forward?” The evolution of Paige Renee Berry’s writing from the first album to the present rewards day one listeners with a more experimental and forceful approach, with vocals and lyricism that have markedly matured with time. The hard-earned and hard-learned lessons of a significant breakup, lengthy pandemic, and multiple canceled tours is transmuted to anthemic cries like the title track, and embraced as radical softness in gut-punchers like “Never Felt This Way.” The highs are higher, the lows are lower, and the payoff is richer. The band enlists major players with this release, like Elijah Ford (Gary Clark Jr., Ryan Bingham), and Nick Joswick (Black Pistol Fire, White Denim) who produced, mixed, and recorded Will I Still Bloom? at 5th Street Studios in Austin, TX. Along for the ride are revered Austin musicians like Zach Wiggs (Brody Price, Virginia Creeper), Sadie Wolfe (Batty Jr., Wild Child), and Jake Ames (Good Looks, The Stacks). Through the alchemy of intention, honesty, and experimentation, this debut LP promises to prove essential to the moment and auspicious for a band that is already
well-poised for long-term success.
Bio
Half Dream is a rock n’ roll band based in Austin, TX and is comprised of Paige Renée Berry (guitar, vocals), Laine Higgins (lead guitar), Wes Armstrong (drums) Ryan Brewer (bass), and Carrie Fussel (harmony vocals, texture). 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, and Helen Reddy. Half Dream finds its home with fans of Angel Olsen, Big Thief, Wye Oak, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. The band’s debut EP Monster of Needing was self-released October 13, 2020, and their debut LP Will I Still Bloom? is slated for October 2023 with an east coast tour to follow.
Full-length bio HERE
Download Hi-Res Photos HERE
Lead Vocals, Guitar / Paige Renée Berry
Lead Guitar / Laine Higgins
Drums / Wes Armstrong
Bass / Ryan Brewer
BGV, Texture / Carrie Fussell