Planetary Group took some time to get to know Dream Phases…
Planetary Group: Tell us about your latest release. How did you come to create it?
Brandon: So our latest release is called New Distractions, and that came out in November of 2021. We recorded it during the pandemic (2020), and then mixed it in 2021.
We had already planned to make a record in 2020, and when the pandemic hit, we were already writing and kind of in the process of it. But the interesting thing about this record is that we took a different approach to this one, which was that we didn’t record together. We recorded separately and sent everything back and forth and, in doing so, it sort of opened up new directions and influences; everybody had a lot more time with their parts and it was a different approach that I think ultimately worked for us.
Shane: Yeah, it was the first time we hadn’t rehearsed the songs in the studio or the rehearsal space before recording. So in a weird way, it gave us less restrictions and it became more collaborative, which was a blessing in disguise.
PG: Share a bit about your musical journey, from when you first started making music until now.
Brandon: We both started relatively young because our dad was a guitar player and we grew up listening to a lot of music and watching him play. So it made us want to start out – like anybody, we joined bands starting off and it eventually brought us together and had us form our first band.
And then that ultimately led to Dream Phases. But for me, at least, I wanted to be a songwriter right away. So that was the main focus of playing music: to write my own material.
Shane: I’ve always really enjoyed creating too. I initially started on guitar, but then put that down and then picked up the drums, then would come back to guitar on and off for years and even piano when I was in college. And I’d been composing for a while and starting to write more songs. And for the Dream Phases record, I contributed a song (I collaborated with Brandon), and now it’s just like the band is becoming more collaborative, just writing more songs together.
PG: Let’s talk about the music that you love. Pick one album for each category below & tell us a bit about it!
- An album you grew up listening to:
Brandon: Led Zeppelin – IV.
Shane: Green Day – Dookie.
- An album that inspires you as an artist (I’m sure there are many, but pick one of your choosing):
Brandon: I would have to pick just like a period of The Beatles probably. I would say from Rubber Soul to Abbey Road is the deepest well for me to constantly mine.
Shane: That’s a very tough one, but you know, it would be something like Revolver or Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest or Elliot Smith’s Either/Or… I always go back to those records for inspiration.
- The album you currently have on repeat:
Shane: I’d probably say Holy Waves. Been listening to that record on and off for a couple years on repeat.
Brandon: Yeah, that one for me as well. And then also the English band Ulrika Spacek – I listen to both of their albums constantly.
PG: What do you want people to take away from your music?
Brandon: An experience for them to go into and feel like there’s some sort of connection that they’re getting out of it, the same way that I feel listening to other people’s music.
Shane: Yeah. Something they can relate to, and also just derive their own meaning from the song and have their own experience.
PG: What’s next up for you?
Brandon: Well, we’re at a studio right now talking about possibly recording our next album! So the main focus right now is working on the next record.
Shane: We already have about 25 demos compiled! So now we’re trying to sort through them, and pick the ones that we think fit best on the record.
