Digital Pop Stars Dream, Ivory on Their Stripped Down Version of Their Hit Album ‘About A Boy'
Photo by Liam Walsh
[UNPUBLISHED:] Congrats on the release of your new album About A Boy (Naked). What are you most excited about in regard to this release?
[DREAM, IVORY:] I think one of the more exciting things about releasing a stripped down version of our album is that we get to show these songs to our listeners in a different way. With the naked version, the focus is more of the lyrical content and message behind the song as opposed to the original which had much louder and in your face instrumentals.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What was the inspiration behind creating a stripped-down version of your original album About A Boy?
[DREAM, IVORY:] When making About A Boy, we realized a lot of the songs were sad or had pretty serious meanings/messages. With a stripped down version, we really got to put an emphasis on the lyrical content as well try different approaches instrumentally (different chord progressions, tempos, etc)
[UNPUBLISHED:] How was the process of creating this album different from the process of creating the original version?
[DREAM, IVORY:] The easy part about making the naked album was that the songs were already written. It made the process of converting songs easy and fun. It was interesting trying to think of what elements to add and take away from the songs to make them enjoyable while still sounding more bare/stripped down.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has your sibling relationship affected the way you make music together?
[DREAM, IVORY:] The cool thing about being siblings is that we are so close. Our heads tend to always be in the same space. Us being siblings also makes things easier because there have been many projects we have done together aside from Dream, Ivory.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a favorite song from the new project?
[DREAM, IVORY:] A favorite would probably be “Would It Kill You At All” just because it’s so different from what we’ve released prior but it still meshes into our new stuff well.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is a lyric you're most proud of?
[DREAM, IVORY:] “You make me sick. I don’t even need no fucking diagnosis.” I like how straightforward and mean/bratty this lyric sounds. It hits even harder when you realize it’s not about anyone specifically but we are referring to ourselves.
[UNPUBLISHED:] You recently wrapped up your tour, what was that experience like?
[DREAM, IVORY:] Tour can be very fun but also super super hectic. Playing in front of people who support you and meeting fans is always gonna be something that still feels unreal. The worst part is always the drives since we are doing those ourselves and sometimes we have shows far away the next day. Playing showcases at SXSW was also a great time. The aspect of trying to win over people who have never heard of you is always fun.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a favorite song that you like to perform?
[DREAM, IVORY:] My personal favorite song to perform live is “Soaking Up The Sickness” because it has a fun bass line and Chris always kills it with the backing harmony.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us a little about the inspiration behind your name?
[DREAM, IVORY:] When we decided to create a band in high school, the first bass I ever got was an Ibanez from my dad and the color was called “ivory.” We thought that was sick so we knew it had to be incorporated in our band name somehow. It was Chris’ idea to personify it as if it was the name of a person and add a verb in front hence the “dream” and comma in front of ivory in Dream, Ivory. We still don’t know who Ivory is or is supposed to be.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is a fun fact not many people might know about you?
[DREAM, IVORY:] Chris and I are almost twins (11 months apart). He is also the older sibling which a lot of people tend to mix up.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What have you been loving recently? It can be anything!
[DREAM, IVORY:] With tour just being finished, we’ve been loving being at home with our dogs!
