North Texas Daily

Abby Jones | Staff Writer

Leave it to indie rock trio DREAMERS to fly from Los Angeles to Dallas just to play one college show and almost not get there in time.

“Whoever booked our flight booked it way too late,” frontman Nick Wold said. “But touring is the business of making it happen.”

“We honestly didn’t know for a minute there if we were gonna make it,” bassist Marc Nelson added.

Thankfully, the California-based band managed to hustle to UNT’s Library Mall for a killer performance at the University Program Council’s annual North by North Texas music festival on Friday, with a good number in the crowd awaiting their arrival.

However, this wasn’t their first visit to Denton. DREAMERS graced the stage at 35Denton music festival in 2015 before they had even recorded an album.

Although their talent says otherwise, DREAMERS has only been active since 2014 with the release of their first single, “Wolves.” Their debut LP, “This Album Does Not Exist,” was released last August, and in between watching a lot of “Planet Earth” and “Bill Nye Saves the World,” they’ve been kept busy.

“We’ve toured the whole country like, six times since August,” Wold said.

“I got engaged!” Nelson said.

“I confessed my love to Kacey Musgraves,” drummer Jacob Lee Wick said.

“This Album Does Not Exist” is a generally upbeat rock album that’s bound to appeal to Bad Suns, Grouplove and Atlas Genius fans. With plenty of catchy hooks that keep listeners intrigued, it’s certainly a strong debut for the up-and-coming rock-and-rollers.

During the performance of the band DREAMERS at NXNT, fans clap and jump around to the high-energy music. DREAMERS played many songs from their debut album “This Album Does Not Exist” at the event, including “Wolves”, “Painkiller” and “Sweet Disaster”. Katie Jenkins

“DRUGS,” the opening track, features blaring guitars, smashing drums and an anthemic chorus perfectly fit for a live performance. The band adds a bit of 1980s-esque synth in “Never Too Late to Dance” and “Sweet Disaster,” adding their own spin to the genre. “Painkiller,” arguably one of the best tracks on the album, is nearly impossibly to resist jumping to — especially while Wold is encouraging the crowd at their shows to do so.

DREAMERS garnered much well-deserved attention for themselves by supporting fellow indie rockers The Griswolds on their national tour, an experience that they seem to miss.

“It’s like that summer camp-type thing,” Nelson said. “I made new friends, and I just didn’t want to leave.”

As if that wasn’t enough success for one year, DREAMERS also recently shared the stage with The 1975 at the Edge Birthday Bash in Tulsa, Oklahoma. DREAMERS’ reaction to being in the presence of The 1975 apparently wasn’t too different from some of the fans’ reactions.

“Matty [Healy] almost looked at me, and I cried,” Wick said. “I would pay money to go see them again.”

Successes aside, it’s evident that DREAMERS’ humility isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

“I grew up in Seattle,” Wold said. “I’ve always wanted to get played on this station that played all my favorite grunge music. I never got played on it until recently. That was probably the craziest thing for me, personally.”

This summer, DREAMERS are taking on the music festival scene, including Free Press Summer Fest in Houston and Bottlerock in Napa Valley, California, before they start penning album number two and heading on the road again.

“We love getting out there and meeting everyone. That’s what we love about touring in general,” Wold said. “That’s our dream life.”

No matter where the near future inevitably takes the trio, DREAMERS is one band to keep your eyes and ears peeled for as they climb the alt-rock ladder. Give them a listen; they might just be the band of your dreams.

Featured Image: On Friday, April 28, the indie rock group DREAMERS performs their song “Sweet Disaster” for the crowds at NXNT. The event was put on by UPC and featured four artists on indoor and outdoor stages. Katie Jenkins