Live Review: Enter the hallucinogenic wonderland of Holiday Party's 'Dream State'

Opening with the same sort of blissful summery daze that is cloaked in the work of The Avalanches, 'Dream State' feels like the best concussion you could have ever asked for. Describing it as a "lush, junkyard pop anthem", HOLIDAY PARTY have given us a song that feels like something too utopian and too paradisal to be conjured in this world. With that being said, 'Dream State' is the escape route we all need to ditch monotony and enter a hyper-colour wonderland.

From the very opening moments, swirls of vivid colours dance around your ears. The chaotically beautiful melody splashes bright yellows, pinks and silvers in front of you as you close your eyes and lean back and let it seep through your very bloodstream. Lush strings and the soft ring of chimes lead us to believe that 'Dream State' is a non-stop fever dream of sunshine, until we dive deeper into Holiday Party's stunningly contrasting lyrics.

"There's a monster always waiting outside my window / And out my window it will always be," Mel Tickle (one half of Holiday Party) sings at the beginning of the second verse. It's the repetition of "Dreaming like I am losing my mind" that sparks a realisation that this song is equal parts fever dream and equal parts nightmare. The last minute or so is drenched in distorted synths and sounds that creep inside you, and you understand that maybe Holiday Party have indeed lost their minds.

But it's a madness that still sounds so fresh and upbeat that you embrace the lunacy with them. Holiday Party have so vividly contrasted daydreaming and night terrors in 'Dream State' that it evokes a thorough listening experience. Are they happy? Are they sad? Are they crazy? Are they all three and more? Whatever the case may be, 'Dream State' is above all else a pop moment for those who yearn to live in fantasy but paint themselves into reality - which, it would seem, is all of us.

Words by JACKSON LANGFORD

Image: Supplied

LISTEN TO MORE NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO

THROWDOWN WITH HOLIDAY PARTY’S SHINING DEBUT SINGLE ‘I’M STILL HERE’

HOLIDAY PARTY TAKE A TURN FOR THE SURREAL WITH ‘I’M STILL HERE’ VIDEO