May 10, 2024

Skylight Webzine

Online since 2000

Shoegaze outfit A Shoreline Dream reveal the new atmospheric LP

3 min read

Progressive shoegaze postpunk outfit A Shoreline Dream have announced they will release their long-awaited ‘Melting’ LP later this summer via Latenight Weeknight Records. Ahead of that, they present the lead track ‘Seek To Hide’.

A Shoreline Dream is Ryan Policky (vocals, guitar, keys, bass, production) and Erik Jeffries (guitar, backing vocals) with Chase Dobson also playing keys on this album. Hailing from the circus birthing ground known as Barnum, Colorado, their sound combines lush melodic textures, organic instrumentation, and vocals layered like a synth, similar in vein to bands such as Ride, Dead Can Dance and Spiritualized – all mixed with a cavernous production style all their own.

“This song ‘Seek to Hide’ is a true diving into the fact that we are a society so caught up in a digital world that when something real actually happens we have no idea where to turn. Who is real? What is fake? Who am I? Am I famous? Am I a nobody? Is this place around me VR? All questions of how messed up our society has become. It’s confusing and bizarre watching the world around us become more digital than ever before,” says Ryan Policky.

Written over the course of five months, the music on ‘Melting’ not only summons the feeling of being lost-at-sea in a world burning ashore, but also dives into the need for a complete and unwavering change. Their new output features guitar tones ranging from lush layers to driven, post-rock arrangements woven behind Ryan’s ethereal and inspired vocal stylings.

Over the past 14 years, ASD has churned out numerous acclaimed releases under their own imprint (Latenight Weeknight Records), working with legends such as Ulrich Schnauss, east coast independent label mastermind Mark Kramer and, most recently, Engineers. A Shoreline Dream has toured with Ulrich Schnauss and was special guest for Chapterhouse on their final appearance in San Francisco.

This is the band’s first long-play since ‘The Silent Sunrise’ (2014), followed by a string of singles originally intended to make up their next album. However, with the world in social and political upheaval in 2020, Ryan Policky gained creative strength and determination through events around him and abroad, developing music consistent with the times and posssibly the most refined and heartfelt work the band has ever produced. Guitarist Erik Jeffries’ powerfully epic and post rock influenced guitar moments add to the emotion in output among the band’s best work to date.

“Our vibe tends to move darker, but lately and surprisingly it has been uptempo, yet still dark. I have always loved that. A sound that is super energetic but downright dreary. I think that is where we are. We’re pumped to get depressed, but also in ideas that were nearly all conceived on their first play-throughs. Emotion translated into tempos. Take the primal element of rhythm and build layers on top of it. Ours just happened to turn out the way they are here, and we were super excited how it came to be. Probably one of my favorite releases we’ve put out there,” says Ryan Policky.

“Working on “melting” and collaborating during writing and composing process was extremely rewarding. So when we started to put ideas together it seemed like new ideas were jumping out at me. And working with Ryan was fantastic. There was an openness to explore and no ideas or conversations were off limits. It really helped push me to be thoughtful (and critical) about what I was contributing and kept me very committed throughout the entire process,” says Erik Jeffries.

As of July 24, ‘Seek To Hide’ will be available everywhere digitally, including Spotify. The ‘Melting’ LP will be released on August 21 and can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.

THE PLAYERS
Ryan Policky – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keys, Percussion
Erik Jeffries – Guitar & Backing Vocals
Chase Dobson – Keys

Seek To Hide https://ashorelinedream.bandcamp.com/track/seek-to-hide
Album pre-order https://ashorelinedream.bandcamp.com/album/melting 

Keep up with A Shoreline Dream
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Keep up with Latenight Weeknight Records
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Article Photo by Ryan Policky