QUICKSPINS: Devon Welsh – Dream Songs

Montreal’s own Devon Welsh, formerly part of the electronic-pop duo Majical Cloudz, released his first album this week as a solo artist.

Dream Songs is contemplative yet abstract, contrasting cynical lyrics with spacious production through simple keyboard work. Welsh is aware of his dreaming-nature but can’t seem to stop getting lost in escapism. It is the backdrop of his life and is reflected through the airy but urgent electric guitar and piano, sometimes soaring and other times swaying. There is less synth than in the music of Majical Cloudz—Welsh uses it as an extra touch to emphasize the larger-than-life sounds, to add sparkle and romanticism to his reveries. Welsh’s simultaneous raw and ambiguous lyricism flows through the whole album, but each song begins to sound too similar to the next. Welsh confidently sings a flat note in one instance, waking us up from the daydream and bringing us back to our flawed and disorderly reality. I see the intent, but this bit was unpleasant. The main takeaway of this album is Welsh’s stark, introspective lyrics bringing the dreamy sonics back down to earth.

8.5/10

Trial Track: “Lucky Strike”

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