“Won’t Stop Dreaming” is the debut single from The Reality TV, the musical project of Benjamin Mace-Crossley, a musician from Chester, UK, self-released this past November 16th.
Benjamin, who’s also known as half of the experimental post-punk duo PKNN explores in this single a more melodic and accessible side of his music, gone are the spoken word vocals and dense rhythms, or at least they’re stored away until another opportunity arises.
The track is a blend of indie-pop and minimalist synth-pop with subtle elements of his more familiar post-punk, it starts with a simple and straightforward drum machine pattern and casio-like chords, adding layers upon layers of sounds, starting with his voice and completing the build up with the guitar, with an unassuming guitar solo in the final minute.
The most noticeable thing to my ears are his vocals, they’re relatively high in the mix, more than the usual, Benjamin sounds very confident in front of the mike, and he also sings his own harmonies in the second half of the track, giving an interesting range of vocal hues.
True to his Post-Punk sensibilities, Benjamin penned a lyrical cautionary narrative of a toxic and self-destructive relationship from a first person POV:
And I won’t stop dreaming
And you wont stop letting me down
Can’t you see I’m broken on my knees
You’ve got me by the throat, stop letting me breathe
What comes out of all of this is a dark yet poppy tune, Benjamin is definitely not afraid of showing a lighter shade in his music, and we won’t stop enjoying the single thanks to it.
Qneydl 