“Dream Hangover” by Dream Bodies: Review
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Los Angeles-based Steven Fleet, the sole mastermind behind Dream Bodies, is stepping into the spotlight with his debut track, "Dream Hangover"—a driving, urgent, and deeply personal song about losing yourself in a toxic relationship and finding your way back to who you are.
This marks the beginning of a series of releases Fleet has been meticulously crafting—eight tracks in total—that will roll out over the coming months. Each song is a testament to transformation, blending post-punk, dream pop, and gothwave into something both cinematic and raw.
"Dream Hangover" wasn’t just written—it was lived. Fleet penned and recorded this track while living alone on the Oregon Coast, in what he describes as a “dark night of the soul” period of life. Isolated, surrounded by vast landscapes and crashing waves, he poured every bit of emotion into these recordings, using music as a way to process and emerge stronger.
"This song is highly personal. It's about going through a painful breakup after having lost your identity and given it away to a toxic relationship, but then finding your way and sense of self in the aftermath." says Fleet. "It's not the most ground-breaking subject matter, to be sure, but it was a very affirming song for me, and definitely helped me to write it."
The song is layered with soaring, atmospheric synths, swirling guitar textures, and life-affirming lyrics that make it both cathartic and expansive—the kind of track that feels like driving fast through the desert at night, top-down, with the wind rushing past you.
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Dream Bodies is steeped in the sonic DNA of post-punk and dream pop icons—Cocteau Twins, The Cure, Chameleons UK, Joy Division, New Order, Felt, Sad Lovers & Giants, Bauhaus, and more—with a touch of Krautrock for good measure.
Fleet creates this otherworldly sound through an intricate layering of delay pedals, chorus effects, and reverb-drenched vintage synths (Juno, ARP), all running through a rhythmic, dotted 8th delay pulse that gives the track its signature hypnotic drive.
Mixing and mastering for “Dream Hangover” was done by Josh Achziger of Shadow Mirrors, an old friend and kindred musical spirit Fleet met years ago in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Though Achziger now resides in New Jersey, the two managed a seamless long-distance workflow, sending files back and forth until they locked in the perfect sound.
"It definitely makes it easier working with someone who already knows the sounds you like, and are attempting to achieve." Fleet shares. "Big thanks to Josh!”
While Dream Bodies is a brand-new project, Fleet is no stranger to the music world. As a member of previous bands, he’s toured the US, Europe, and the UK, even opening for Chameleons UK on several UK dates. Some of his most memorable shows include performances in Berlin and the Czech Republic, cities that deeply influenced his artistic vision.
Though there are no live shows scheduled just yet, Fleet’s long-term goal is to bring Dream Bodies to the stage. For now, the focus is on building the world around the music. "Dream Hangover" is the first step in what promises to be a mesmerizing body of work, full of melancholic beauty, pulsating rhythms, and cinematic soundscapes.
If you’ve ever found yourself lost, longing, and ready to start again, “Dream Hangover” might just be what you’ve been looking for.
“Dream Hangover” is available now on all major streaming platforms
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Listen to Dream Bodies and other similar artists on our Spotify Playlist ‘New Music Spotlight - Indie & Alternative’
