Carol Ades shares the shimmering new single "Dreams" by a sentimental summer bop that so completely nails the excitement, trepidation, and ecstasy of a first queer crush is back. Dropping just before Pride Month, "Dreams" is more than a love song. It's an ode to self-discovery and the excitement of realizing that love is available to you in its purest form.
Co-penned with close pals, the warmth radiating off "Dreams" comes as easy as its dreamy instrumentation and tender lyricism. Ades' signature soft voice floats over lush indie-pop textures for an intimate yet broad soundscape. This brings us to "Hollaback." "Dreams" only improves once Blu DeTiger sinks her teeth into the bassline, laying down an infectious groove that matches the song's airy, nostalgic feel.
Ades has called "Dreams" a breakthrough in her path toward openness about herself, telling followers, "Dreams" was one of the first things that pushed me forward and made me feel excited about the way that I love girls." That sense of newly found liberation vibrates in every note, making "Dreams" not just an earworm. It's an emotional release, a moment of clarity bound into a tune.
Its bewitching combination of dream pop perfection and gut-busting lyricism makes "Dreams" an impressive distillation of Carol Ades's voice as an unflinching yet tender figure in indie music. It's the sort of song that lingers long after the last note has faded, much like the sensation of falling in love.