I Can Dream – ‘For What It’s Worth’ EP Review
Posted: by Sean Gonzalez
It’s here. Ever since being told to look this band’s way I have been in love with the raw passion exploding out of their music. I Can Dream is a hardcore band from New York made up of members that have been around the scene for awhile. For What It’s Worth is their debut release to the world, featuring six tracks filled to the brim with exciting songs meant to liven up anybody’s ears.
Highlighting and giving the songs more power is Bruno’s prowess as a vocalist. Many of his lyrics are delivered in a stream of consciousness style, never really losing their addictive and exhaustive flow. This allows him more freedom to expand his raspy screams or condense his wiry singing voice. It is present immediately on the first track ‘Take It Or Live It’ and rides above every instrument to the end. Without the presence of dynamics the song feels a bit underwhelming. This might just be a slightly different mix to the bombastic walls of distortion featured on next track, ‘Love Less.’ Just like Bruno’s voice, the arrangements and progressions of the instruments are spastic and relentless.
This raw and unpredictable aspect to I Can Dream‘s songwriting is reminiscent to early Norma Jean. It’s hard not to beat that comparison to the ground, especially with a track like ‘What Doesn’t Kill You.’ A few melodic motifs are embedded into the sluggish chords, blending a sludge heavy riff into the frantic breakdowns. The ending breakdown is an outpour of energy that leads flawlessly into ‘For All The Words I Never Said.’ I don’t want to spoil the track too much, but there is a hint of irony in the title in comparison to how the song plays out. Gleaming melodies are matched with syncopated drums and a strong bass line. The song grows into a groove that opens up the final trauma driven track, ‘For All The Chances I Never Took.’ Bruno’s voice is near a breaking point the entire song, really allowing every inch of his vocal box to be heard. The melancholic chorus guitar lead is a perfect dichotomy to the otherwise chaotic pace to the song.
The Alternative was able to talk with Bruno about ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ before, and he explained how the song is trying to shed light on how he feels about romantics and love. Taking a look at the rest of the EP, it is no secret this is a huge theme to the EP. For What It’s Worth is an EP that wastes no seconds in trying to showcase the reflective anguish in searching within yourself. I Can Dream are officially released the EP on August 14th.
Score: 8.25/10
Pick The Record Up HERE: https://icandream.bandcamp.com/
