Debut cassette from this new band out of Richmond.

Our take: 5-song demo cassette from this new band from Richmond, Virginia. For Sorry State’s readers, “Richmond” is virtually synonymous with “ripping hardcore,” but Dream World is a little different (though still very punk). I got to see Dream World live before I heard the recording, and my main takeaway was how their music conveyed a tension I rarely hear in today’s hardcore punk. Rather than playing all-out fast and hard, their songs tend to ride along at this dramatic three-quarters tempo, just at the precipice of full-on explosion, but not really falling off the cliff until the final track, “Blood Philanthropist.” Part of that tension comes from the drumming, which I just love. The songs are based around these eerie pulses, but the drummer constantly interjects all these little fills and accents within the pulse, like he’s just itching to go off, straining against the songs’ measured tempos. I’ve heard people mention Icons of Filth as a comparison point for Dream World, but I think these songs sound like no one but themselves. Fans of contemporary punk in the anarcho mold should definitely give this a listen, but I think there’s something here that rises above the “recommended if you like” formula.