For as much as Circa Survive feels like a permanent fixture – forever etched into the annals of post-hardcore – A Dream About Love is by contrast an observation of the ephemeral. It's a theme made all the more appropriate by the twenty-nine minute EP's own brevity, cohesively functioning like a ghostly standerby of events that will come to pass: life, love, and even empires. On the sinister opener 'Imposter Syndrome', Anthony Green broodingly warns "America is burning from the inside out / I don't think we're meant to be free" amid muted, aqueous electronic backbeats that nearly, maybe even vaguely, call back to 'In The Air Tonight' only instead of a thunderous drum fill we get Green's raspily screamed "I was searching for a painless way to die" as electric guitars ramp up and collide with cascading layers of backing vocals until the entire thing exhausts itself and implodes in a cloud of dust. The song's structure and abrupt cliff fall of a conclusion symbolizes (perhaps inadvertently) the collapsing society which Green is lamenting, thus adding yet another dimension to the song's emotional and metaphorical potency. It's a brilliant start to the EP that is recognizably Circa Survive, only with more of an expansive, ravine-like atmosphere which seems open and liberated in the wake of The Amulet's dense, foggy winter.
Similarly, much of A Dream About Love feels like it is spent freeing itself from a dream-like mist; almost a struggle for lucidity, or understanding. The melodies are differentiable but also dissonant, the guitars are oft-awashed in a haze of disorienting feedback, and most of the tracks either enter or depart the scene to a series of very sharply defined instrumental notes, thus creating the contrast between concrete and mystical. The result is a satisfyingly unified air, one which perhaps Circa Survive fans have already come to expect. It's evident from the word go and continues through 'Drift''s born-of-fire riffs and twinkling-star pianos, 'Our Last Shot''s thunderous drumming and eerie sound effects, 'Even Better''s melodious gravitational pull, 'Gone For Good''s keyboard-laden somberness, and 'Sleep Well''s synth-wrapped stuttering percussion. It's a thrilling weave in and out of consciousness, working brilliantly and as-designed. Throughout the entire thing, vocalist Anthony Green also performs up to expectations – his shrill wails providing a chilling backbone to the band's hazy and simultaneously lush concoctions. By the end, A Dream About Love ends up representing the band's resume-to-date quite well while still offering something different; a perfect example of how to balance experimentation with familiarity and structure.
If Circa Survive's discography is a pond, then each new release is like a stone that sends ripples through its surface to ensure that their craft never stagnates. A Dream About Love is aesthetically dreamier and also a bit cleaner sounding than most of the band's preceding works, but it's a welcome stroke of accessibility that doesn't forsake the Circa Survive name. This is likely the best EP that this band has released, and it also goes toe-to-toe with any of their full-lengths – save for perhaps 2010's Blue Sky Noise, which arguably remains their career high water mark. By default that makes A Dream About Love essential listening for any fan of this band – and if you're not yet a believer, then this little gem ought to do the trick.
TRACKLIST:
Imposter Syndrome
Drift
Our Last Shot
Even Better
Gone For Good
Sleep Well