Hopium – Dreamers
This level of cheese is normally enough to stay my hand on a song like this but I’m making an exception based on raw commercial appeal. My first thought wasn’t, “Balls Jimminy, I’m loving this track” – it was actually something closer to “I wonder if Clive Plamer would enjoy this cut?” but that’s always my initial reaction. But my second thought! My second thought was in the ballpark of a simple “hit.”
There are of course those earlier moments of dairy but they’re overshadowed by a colossal chorus and all the trappings of a Triple J breakthrough track. Collaboration with a defunct Triple J favourite and the first we’ve heard of them since breakup? Check. Festival sing-along chorus with a with a raised bass kick? Check. There’s even a memorable spoken word outro with a clear Australian accent to remind listeners that despite the first three quarters of the track this is in fact an Aussie outfit. If you can’t visualise a few thousand people chanting ‘YOU SAID THIS WOULD BE YOUR YEAR’ at Falls Fest then you’re not focusing, snap out of it guy. The bass kick and the snare are quintessential M-Phazes and thus you’ll hear them on the new Thelma Plum single he produced too. Casual F-Bomb and I’m pretty sure there’s a C-Bomb under breathe somewhere in there too but unconfirmed.
The J’s are awash with downtempo at the moment so pending the inevitable add to rotation (of a radio edit) it might never get past 6 or 7 plays a week but if it pushes up past 10 for a few weeks in a row then we’ve got ourselves a bottom rung success story, I think. It really is a very well crafted song and it’s laced with just the right level of production nowness to see it work. Add to that the perfectly demo-targetted theme of early twenties adolescence and… well, I think you know my stance by now.
Artists you need to know rn
| 1. 1300 |  |
316 |
| 2. Voidhood | |
259 | 3. jamesjamesjames | |
186 | 4. Zan | |
174 |
| 5. Sesame Girl | |
147 |
Their voices meld well.
By the way, the playlist Soundcloud generates for Hopium’s sound-alikes is pretty great as well: https://soundcloud.com/highonhopium/cut/recommended
Good tip, am listening through this presently.