Julian Lines – Dystopian Dream (2021)
We are living in rather strange times with the pandemic and lockdown. Julian Lines has taken our combined experience and turned it into the single ‘Dystopian Dream’. With a mix of retro synths and contemporary electronic pop, it captures everything we have all felt about lockdown and the current situation in the world.
The song was originally very different in style with a more organic soundscape, but Lines decided to change it up with a glitch style beat. After sending it to his brother, it evolved through accidental halving of the speed of the beats leading to a complete rework. The creative evolution of the single is very close to that of gene replication and mutation which brings it full circle to the inspiration of the song.
‘Dystopian Dream’ vibrates against your ears before some retro soaring tones zip across your brain. The melody has an interesting fusion feeling as you get a touch of old-school guitars mixing with retro synths that dance around contemporary beats. Through the movement of the music, you have a sense of light gently filling your mind. The deep beats offer a grounding against the synths that bring the light of potential to your brain. The elements of the melody all come together in a swirl of emotion that perfectly captures the turbulent and ever-changing emotions we have all felt in the last year.
The retro vibe of the music is enhanced by Lines’ vocals which have a new wave vibe to them. The lyrics are a peek into the thoughts and feelings that inundated everyone during lockdown. There is a questioning feeling on the chorus that turns into a cautious detailing of life on the verses. While the chorus is questioning, his vocals have you soaring into a dreamscape where you are unsure of what is truly happening.
Julian Lines brings the thoughts and emotions of lockdown to electronic life with the merging of retro and contemporary tones of ‘Dystopian Dream’. The melody captures the tumbling emotions of the time with a hint of hope for the future wrapped around a questioning of what is happening. This is bolstered by the lyrics and vocals which have an almost ethereal edge to them.
Find out more about Julian Lines on his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
