Dive into Lane Lines’ ‘Lucid Dreaming’ album, where hazy-pop melodies navigate relationships, sobriety, and mental health.
With one foot in a lucid dreamland and the other in reality, Lane Lines sophomore album, ‘Lucid Dreaming’ explores relationships, sobriety and mental health in the tune of a hazy-pop dream.
A child of the 90s, Mandi Kimes found the only people exploring subjects such as mental health, anxiety and sobriety were in the emo scene. From there, their mission was to bring the same messages to a lo-fi bedroom pop audience.
The album in its entirety tells a story of Lane Lines and their experience with lucid dreams and the impact of the pandemic and invites the listener to hear their story.
dredreaDrawing inspiration from artists like Frou Frou and The Japanese House, Kimes intertwines soothing yet emotive vocals with ethereal pop, crafting a soundscape that mirrors the sensation of lucid dreaming.
The first song of the album, Lucid Dreaming, quite literally entices the listener to enter their world of false reality, preparing them for the journey they’re about to partake in;
I’m waiting for you at the entrance of the gates to my lucid dreams
(I’ve been dreaming, lucid dreaming. I’ve been dreaming of you.)
The third track, Just Friends, explores the effect of friendship breakups, a universal experience with scars that can take years to heal.
“I wanted to talk about the mental struggle it took on me to redefine how I value the friendships I had in my life at the time” explains Kimes.
The melancholic beat and harmonies intensify the already intense emotions of losing a friend and reevaluating the way in which you show your love to others.
With the challenge to sing about being sober without actually mentioning the word ‘sober’, Mandi simply wrote a list of all the things they experienced after cutting out alcohol. It is somewhat bittersweet, mixing experiences like being the designated driver and curling up on the couch on NYE with not getting invited out anymore.
As a whole, the Lane Line’s album takes you on a journey of relationships with friends, acquaintances, family and themselves, all while wrapped up in a dream-like cocoon.
Wrap yourself around Lucid Dreaming below:
