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Dream Job

Dream Job

Written by: PP on 09/08/2021 20:55:47

Half Hearted Hero are no strangers to stylistic changes, but this time around the shift was just dramatic enough so they decided to re-launch the band as Dream Job back in 2019. Their self-titled debut album is a fun listen. They throw out the window all conventions in the lyrical department and create a hilarious, cleverly quirky atmosphere that's jam-packed with memorable lines all across the board. Opener "Afterlife And Times", for instance, has comedic gems like "I'm not dying alone if I have all of my Facebook friends / I hope the wi-fi is good in my casket / 'cause I hate to spend the afterlife without internet / I don't wanna go underground if my phone is dead", whereas "The Fun Percent" is about going out every night with 'Chad and Greg from Sales' riding an Uber from a 'luxury loft' to Coachella, a clear reference to the high-flying, substance-abusing lifestyles of the financial world of yesteryear.

It's funny remarks and modern-world references like these that stick out from your dime-a-dozen punk rock band out there and leaves a positively charged, party atmosphere-like impression of Dream Job. It's totally ridiculous, but it works, because the songs are infectiously catchy in the process. Stylistically, the record resembles work by Vinnie Caruana's bands I Am The Avalance and The Movielife, with vocals performed in a similarly snarly, gravelly fashion. The production is rough-around-the-edges, giving a sense of danger and raw contour to their expression.

It's clear from the lyrics and the overall three-chord punk rock vibes that the band doesn't take themselves too seriously. That's what makes them a breath of fresh air, especially since they're happy to mix in on-point political messages amidst the unseriousness of it all ("Speech is free, but that don’t mean we are free from consequence" on "The Garden", for instance). It's an interesting mix that's ultimately a catchy, no-frills punk rock banger that sounds nothing at all like their original band.

Download: Afterlife And Times, Phoning It In, The Fun Percent
For the fans of: I Am The Avalanche, The Movielife
Listen: Facebook

Release date 02.04.2021
Self-Released