SPUN OUT - DREAM NOISE - SHUGA

Chicago psych-rock band Spun Out have just released their second LP Dream Noise, out October 25th via Shuga Records, and shared the lead single/video “Paranoia.” Consisting of former NE-HI members Michael Wells (guitar, vocals) and James Weir (keys), plus the addition of Sean Page (synths), Joshua Wells (drums, recording, mixing), and Chris Sutter (bass), Spun Out create melancholic psych-pop bliss full of lush mesmerizing grooves, with a keen ear for studio experimentation.

Lead single “Paranoia” furthers that. Inspired by a time when Wells was taken out by a rip tide in the Pacific, the song is about the feeling of trying to remain calm physically despite not being able to control what’s around you.

“Lyrically, I was trying to convey how dreams overlap into real life and vice versa,” explains Wells. “I got taken out by a rip tide in the Pacific a few years back and that feeling of trying to remain calm physically while not being in control of your surroundings definitely informed the psychology of the tune, as well as the twists and turns of the production style.”

The video was directed by Tim Nagle, and shows Wells watching grainy VHS footage that gets increasingly unsettling, creating an atmosphere that lives up to the track’s title.

Dream Noise is an intentionally more honed and curated collection of songs than Spun Out’s debut, Touch the Sound (2020, Shuga). It takes the band’s collaborative spirit and sense of maximalist experimentation established in their debut and vacuum seals these ideas into tightly arranged, hooky pop gems. Sonically, the production style of the record remains refreshing, surprising and unto themselves compared to other indie music contemporaries. Lyrically, Spun Out finds new depth of emotion in directness, spruced up by memorable double entendres and turns of phrase. The hooks are smart and poetic, but never boring. Dream Noise emphasizes the performance and character of the band as live performers more than the exploratory studio templates of the debut, bringing a new element of warmth and naturalness to their sound.