Hear Synth-Pop Act Dreamhour Scale New Heights on Slick Third Album ‘Now That We Are Here’

All kinds of sonic pleasures abound on Siliguri synth-pop artist Dreamhour’s new album Now That We Are Here, an 11-track record that captures retro vibes with an electronic palette and lives up to producer-singer Debo Sanyal’s reputation of balancing nostalgia and futuristic sounds.

Like with his previous albums VLLNS (2018) and Propstvr (2020), there are concept worlds in which songs are housed, such as “Pulp Motel,” “Yesterday Three (Everything Is Fine)” and “Rajdoot,” the latter likely referring to the two-wheelers which thrived in the Seventies in India. “The instrumentals on the album are aural movie scenes that invite the listener to interpret their own meaning,” he says in a statement.

The artist describes Now That We Are Here — released via U.S. label NewRetroWave on CD, cassette and mini-discs — as “a synthpop album that explores the concept of the present moment and how it is connected to our memories of the past.” Sanyal adds in his statement, “In this album, words like ‘now’ and ‘yesterday’ do not necessarily refer to points in time, but rather places where one could be. We travel to these ‘places’ through mediums such as sound, smell, and scene.”

Time-blurring, guitar-inflected and of course, heavily led by synth melodies and drum machines, the album offers up tracks like “It’s A Song,” which is about a “the dream of finding the perfect melody, existing outside of the constraints of time.” Sanyal’s go-to collaborator and vocalist-composer Kritika Nepal also appears on songs like “She’s Everything,” the previously released 2021 single “Own Tonight” and “A Long Night,” carrying forward the pop energy from their electronic pop duo Dokodoko. Guitarist Anuj Gurung, also a collaborator with Dokodoko and Sanyal’s solo work, adds a glorious rock edge to “It’s A Song,” bringing about a powerful start to the mostly existential album.

Sanyal adds about other songs on Now That We Are Here, “’A Long Night,’ delve into the idea that we are all bound by the past, but must move forward into the present. ‘Yesterday Three’ offers a more optimistic perspective, reminding us of the small joys that connect us to our memories. ‘Have Mercy,’ although a dancefloor-friendly track, takes a darker turn, exploring the suffering that we often inflict on others in the present.”

There are more melancholy turns on slow-burn songs like “Medicines,” but most of the album abounds in grooves and dancefloor-friendly bops, closing with instrumental songs like the disco, Daft Punk-inflected “Small Town Vengeance” and “Rajdoot,” which does in fact include a sample of a scooter (or bike) revving up.

Listen/buy ‘Now That We Are Here’ below. Stream on more platforms here.