Tom Gallo is the host of Look At My Records! on Radio Free Brooklyn.
Bushwick Daily is excited to premiere the debut single, “Bad Dreams,” from the new Brooklyn-based trio, Urges. The group formed back in 2018 when drummer Devan Davies-Wood decided to try his hand at fronting a band, putting down his sticks and picking up a guitar. To round out the project, he recruited his high school friend Arif Hama to cover bass duties, and fellow drummer Ali Yildiz.
Fronted by multi-instrumentalist Devan Davies-Wood, Urges cherry-picks from the very best characteristics of several genres, including post-punk, shoegaze, and experimental noise-rock. Their debut single “Bad Dreams” serves up a little bit of something for everyone, and may conjure images of a variety of classic British and American acts. The guitars are drenched in reverb, creating dense shoegaze textures reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. In combination with “Bad Dreams” pithy melodies and steady beat, the song also manages to embody the discordant chaos of art-punks Pere Ubu, the echoing darkness of Joy Division and New Order, and the stark swagger of Gang of Four.
Thematically, the song explores the fear of abandonment and paranoia that sometimes festers within romantic relationships. Based on his own personal experiences, Davies-Wood crafted the lyrics from two different perspectives: the chorus from his own providing comforting words to his partner, while the verses provide the response. Davies-Wood described tying the sonic elements of the song to the narrative, as the nerve inducing guitar feedback bleeds into the calming second half of the song, before building up and exploding once again at the conclusion of the song.
You can stream “Bad Dreams” exclusively right here:
You can also catch Urges performing a special Halloween cover set as Joy Division on October 30th at Rose Gold. Other Bushwick Daily favorites are also on the bill, including members of Cindy Cane, Looms and Whiner (performing as The Doors); Cuneiform (performing as Nine Inch Nails); and Irrevery (performing as Queen).
All images courtesy of Urges. Photos by Landon Yost.
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