Review: Dreamwave ‘Drifter / Moon Dogs’
As Stolen Body Records brought Dreamwave’s new Drifter EP and April 2025’s Moon Dogs together onto one album, I’ll be unpacking both records below to see how they sit together. First up is the six-track Drifter…
I’d figure riding a moon buggy is probably a slow-moving affair… on account of… you know, barely any gravity on Luna? But Moon Buggy, the opening track on Bristol space rock aficionados latest EP, roars with the kinetic energy of a motorcycle plunging downhill amid a serious dose of mescaline. Think the dimensional ride towards the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey, only with the accelerators ramped up to breaking point. Propulsive drumming and oddly layered guitar make for a fine opener for this feisty record.
The dreamy Web Weaver brings to mind the spacier offering of ‘90s Britpop like Kula Shaker with its flourishing keyboards but reveals an especially driving energy akin to fellow travelers Longheads. Space Debris is aptly titled, as it floats between asteroids and across planetary rings with an almost drunken ethereal resonance, like something Brian Eno would create after a long night out.
A degree of celestial menace flavors the ripping Murmurs On the Dunes, my personal favorite cut. It soars with an otherworldly melody, while Over You is a bit reminiscent of the dearly departed Comets On Fire.
Dreamwave have succeeded in making a vigorous space rock effort with quite a bit of eccentricity that pulls from the right sources without sounding hackneyed or tired. A boisterous package of British galaxy-worship that is sure to please fans of the genre. Prepare for your space-born drifting saga.
the kinetic energy of a motorcycle plunging downhill amid a serious dose of mescaline…
And now the also six-track Moon Dogs…
Polystyrene Irene sounds like one heck of a gal. I’m not sure what she has to do with styrofoam, but her namesake – the bluesy stomping opener for Moon Dogs – is a mighty strut down a cool avenue. The guitar riffs are thick, the percussion steady and the attitude lavishing in confidence. Imagine The Black Keys with a bit more production and more panache, then you might have a rough idea.
Seeking To Remains smacks the listener with a dazzling organ display of ‘60s occult psychedelia with a constantly shaking tambourine at the ready, while Wide Shooter channels the spirit of Iggy Pop to a T(or P?).
The Hawkwind-ish space punk characterizes the track Calling All The Time, a fun and raucous little number which might bring back a memory or two of a person who just couldn’t leave you alone via telephone. My personal favorite track is Clad Kings, with its almost drunken sway through a bright corridor of cosmic cacophony. Moon Dogs is flush with an energy steeped in steady musical vision and general British daring-do. This is a must-listen for fans of neo-psychedelia, freaks, weirdos and girls named Irene.
Label: Stolen Body Records
Band Links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Rob Walsh
