Haydn Hayes has released an EP titled DREAMS on November 14th, 2020. If one looks at the meaning of the word, "Dreams", it means, "a series of thoughts, visions, or feelings that happen during sleep". Furthermore, it could also mean "an idea or vision that is created in your imagination and that is not real". Lastly, it can also mean "something that you wanted very much to do, be, or have for a long time". All of these definitions come from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The point is, that all of these definitions are valid. However which definition is relevant to the title of the EP, DREAMS? Before we dive deep into the meaning, there is important information you need to know about the artist. Hayden Hayes.
Hayden Hayes has talked about how he got interested in music. He said :
I'm a Scottish multi-instrumentalist and started with punk, metal and rock music. I grew up a guitarist, and obsessed with writing and knowing more about music, lyrics, and what went into making great, meaningful music.
A couple of years ago I got bored of music I'd grown up with and started finding there was new music that got me excited outside genres I'd grown up with. I got into hip-hop and new experimental electronic genres.
I started producing hip-hop and electronic music, blending the sounds that I'd grown up writing, and knew how to write well, with new genres, making what I hoped was a new and original sound.
I write about existential and deep subjects. What it's like to exist and some of the strange feelings that I don't think are written about a lot. I find most other hip-hop is all about bravado and aggression, whereas I think more people have more thoughtful, deep and often very bored feelings.
I feel people are tired and worn out a lot of the time and my music is meant to sound like that. A little bit like the weariness that comes with existing in the modern world.
From the information above, Haydn Hayes has proved to be passionate about music. He is a multi-instrumentalist who knows different genres like punk, metal, rock and hip-hop which has influenced him to make new experimental electronic genres. Another important note about the artist is that he pays more attention to deep subjects and feelings people have in their everyday life. Therefore it means that this EP, "DREAMS" pays more attention to deep subjects and has a special meaning behind it.
The Track List :
Waking Up
Sleepless Nights
Astral Projection
I See You Every Night in my Dreams
From the track list, there are important facts to consider. For example, the first track Waking Up serves as lives for the rest of the EP. It begins with a sort of television playing in the background, and the warm phone rings and beeps with messages, just to mention a few. This happens in our everyday lives where immediately after we wake up we may switch on the TV and probably have phone calls we have to attend to. Meanwhile, in the track, there are different beats, instruments or genres playing in the background. There seems to be pop music and guitar playing, just to mention a few. The way it seems, there aren't exactly song lyrics but it shows what people usually do immediately after waking up e.g. watching TV. These mixtures of genres seem to bring out a unique sound. Hayes probably wanted his audience to relate to the beat of the first track and to show them what to expect from the rest of the EP, "Dreams".
The track Sleepless Nights seems intriguing. At the beginning of the track, there seems to be an electric guitar playing on the onset, This sets the tone that it is exciting. It seems to have that rock n roll feeling hence rock music. Hayes said something about being up around 3 a.m. The way it seems, he is probably having a good time, making music and he's "wasted" probably to say that he's drunk. Furthermore, there is that rock and roll effect when he says the word "Ya!". This is to clearly show that he is enjoying himself, probably making music. Lastly, there is a moment of silence at the end of the track probably to give his listeners a chance to grasp this track and to make them more curious to listen to the next track.
The track Astral projection is different from the previous tracks. What does Astral projection mean? As stated by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it means, "the ability of a person's spirit to travel to distant places". How is this relevant to the track, "Astral Projection"? If one looks at the beat, it sort of has that drum effect then a guitar-likereferring sound afterwards. This shift of beats could signify the travel to distant places. Moreover, there is a change of effect in terms of Hayes' voice. This could probably be making reference to him in the real world travelling to another world which is the dream world. The dream world is a mystical place. Eventually, the beat gets louder until there is a clap of hands. In the track, Hayes said, "Every night I feel as if my mind is on a different space", then a guitar-like sound and probably the beat of a drum plays afterwards. The way it seems, from what Hayes said in this track, he is probably referring to the dream world hence every night he has "dreams". Therefore, it is one of the reasons why the EP is titled, "DREAMS."
Lastly, there is a track titled, I See You Every Night in My Dreams. There are various ways to show that this is the finale of the EP, "DREAMS". Firstly there seems to be an electric guitar playing in the background. Furthermore, Hayes said, "I'm so f****en happy that I don't have to miss you / 'Cause I see you every night in my dreams." He could be referring to someone special in his life in the sense that his voice seems calm and soft. In terms of his voice, it could mean that the track gives a calm feeling, a sense of peace. Therefore, that is why this track is the final song in the EP, "DREAMS."
In a nutshell, the EP DREAMS seems to be about the basic phases that one has if they have dreams when they sleep. It helps one to relate to the feelings and activities they have when having dreams. The title of the EP, "DREAMS" is mainly focused on dreams which are "a series of thoughts, visions, or feelings that happen during sleep" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). It has proved to be a unique EP which mainly focuses on the beats which have a meaning.
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