If you like mysterious, underground artists who share virtually nothing with you but their music, then chances are this is right up your alley. VHS Dream is probably the most discreet concept I’ve seen in a while and after listening to the ambient EP, Wonderfully Hopeless, I had to do some serious research to find out what the hell this is all about. The madness behind the brilliance I guess.
Secret shoegaze from solo noise artist Matthew Hosking. Lose yourself in a Wonderfully Hopeless VHS Dream.
If you had asked me what the term ‘shoegaze’ meant to me a week ago, I would’ve mumbled something sarcastic about looking at my feet and then walked away in shame with the sad realisation I don’t know everything. I now know it’s actually a genre which is a little bit haunting and a little bit rock and roll – VHS Dream falls right into the structured chaos that is the shoegaze ‘wall of sound.’
VHS Dream is the DIY project of creative soul and all around cool guy Matthew Hosking. After relocating from the sunny Gold Coast to not so sunny Melbourne and beginning a musical bromance with Lowtide* frontman Gabe Lewis, Hosking pursued the solo act – creating music with just a guitar, amp and various pedals. The result? A collection of experimental and highly layered songs which are now featured on his current EP.
Wonderfully Hopeless consists of five tracks of dreampop heaven, which was released earlier this year in February. Each song is crafted together in a way which creates a dense sound as a whole, but at the same time entices you in to listen over and over again, picking out layers you hadn’t noticed the first time. This EP pushes you right to the edge of the cliff through textured songs like The Beginning Feels Like the End, and then swings you back into safety with mellow rhythms, such as A Feather in a Hurricane.
Shoegaze is definitely an acquired taste, so VHS Dream may not be for everyone – but for those of you who reveal in a perfectly mashed combination of washed out riffs and echoing vocals, this is for you. Trust me, Wonderfully Hopeless is wonderfully addictive.
VHS Dream currently has no future shows planned while Hosking perfects his upcoming releases – set to be looking more electronic and melodic. Instead he plans to hit up the studio in a few months, so we should be graced with more VHS Dream later on in the year! In the meantime, I’m going to go look up hazy shoegaze artists to fuel my new addiction…
FIND OUT MORE ON
▲ FACEBOOK ▲ BANDCAMP
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1646374112 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
*Who have their debut out TODAY!
