DREAMCAR

Dreamcar have finally unveiled their first song from their long gestating, tight-lipped supergroup. The band, comprised of former No Doubt members Tom Dumont, Adrian Young and Tony Canal with AFI’s Davey Havok taking Gwen Steffani’s former mantel as lead singer have been shrouded in mystery and causing a stir of fervent debate and anticipation for almost a year now. After much speculation, Dreamcar present the first glimpse of new music with lead single Kill for Candy, taken from the forthcoming eponymous debut LP, and it finds them as an exciting proposition.

The song is full on eighties, its synth heavy, rich production is evident from the off. The layered textures that echo familiarity to many beloved acts from the 1980’s such as Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, The Cure and Pet Shop Boys make a bold statement as to what kind of band this is. Dreamcar is a new-wave outfit, their influences are omnipresent throughout, however this is not just mere imitation and hero worship. Among the many nods to pops former glory are moments of undeniable modernity that make Dreamcar very current and of their time.

Davey Havok takes centre stage and his unmistakable voice wraps itself around delicious melodies that twist and meander in that Morrissey-ish way that Havok does so well. For fans of AFI this heavily eighties inspired sound is not polarizing at all, it is where the band have sat for the best part of the last ten years and it is when Havok is expressing himself in this manner that he is most affecting. There is an authenticity to Davey’s delivery when he sings shimmering pop songs full of pomp, theatricality and drama that allows the singer to expose himself in ways that is intriguing, elusive and seductive. There are overt sexual themes that evoke themselves from certain lyrical phrases during Kill for Candy such as ‘what’s on our tongues is less discreet, before it dissolves its oh so sweet’. Moment’s like this embody the true essence of Davey Havok and the Dreamcar project itself.

This is a sexy, evocative, lustrous pop-rock project and its musicians are extremely experienced and competent at writing and performing slick radio pop hits so effortlessly. The rhythm section is tight and driving and the guitar lines dance over Havok’s lush and varied melodies. The band perform like they have been together for years, perhaps it is their respective experience that makes this all seem so effortless, or their seemingly kismet compatibility. Despite the origins of the group emerging from the drama surrounding No Doubt, it isn’t at all noticeable. Dreamcar feels like a real band, not a side-project or supergroup, whose members appear destined to be making music together. Kill for Candy is short, sweet and as enticing as it is catchy, with the LP just around the corner, Dreamcar could be something very special.