Well, let’s pick up on the inspiring title of Chicago artist Claudia Ferme who works as Claude – a lot’s gotta change.
Without going into all the hard pressing political, social and health issues – from wars to climate change and the pandemic that just won’t go away, one of the more shall we say mundane things that’s gotta change is whatever is being lumped under the various musical genres, in this case, the almost encompassing category of dream pop.
It seems that everybody is dumping something that has a ‘dreamy’ tempo’ or some subtle electronics under this category. Yet, something is certainly there on Claude’s latest album under the above title that can be labelled as dream pop.
Sure, Claude mainly works with more understated tempos, and she often underpins her songs with some gentle electronics, but there is an essential element here that certainly makes her music qualify as dream pop, and that is an unmistakable sense for a great melody, incorporating all the best elements of pop or other musical genres, as well as vocals that have the ability to carry such melodies.
Add to all that, Claude’s detailed work on this, her debut album, with some songs starting to take shape as early as 2017, showing detailed care for the music and what is eventually going to end up as the music that is going to reach an audience.
a lot’s gotta change is sophisticated pop at a very high level, whether you add that dream category to it or not.
