One of many highlights on Gloucester-based Alex Tranter‘s debut album Apocalyptic Harmony, “Living In A Dream” showcases his instinct for blending bass-driven grooves with atmospheric keys, expressive guitar, strings, and synth accents. Tranter wrote and arranged the musical parts, lyrics, and vocal melodies himself, further reflecting the album’s deeply hands-on creative approach.
A magnetic assortment of instrumentation opens the track, fondly resembling Air in its absorbing atmospherics. A funky bass drive pairs seamlessly with mellow keys and a string-laden luminousness, complemented shortly thereafter by lushly shaking percussion. Added guitar stylishness injects as the one-minute turn approaches, bolstered by playful pulses of synths before a soulful entrance. Her “what comes to mind” impassioned outpouring signals an entry of more free-flowing guitar allure, blending wonderfully with the funk-pop backing.
A mix of responsive harmonies entices in the subsequent section, adding a serenely compelling quality to the “don’t you want to see how?” melodic beckoning, as the funky bass presence and debonair guitar lines persist into the delectable “living in a dream” title-touting refrain. A stirring synth re-emergence then takes hold just after that three-minute turn, showing no shortage of stylishness as the rhythm section and guitar work take momentary emphasis before a wholly satiating conclusion. “Living In A Dream” is a meticulously produced, stylishly melodic standout of a track from Alex Tranter.
Stream the album in full, below:
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
