Echosmith Get More Contemplative In "Inside A Dream"

Echosmith's debut back in 2014 offered up some great pop tunes, but it's been awhile since their last effort. They've pushed back their next record into next year to make some finishing touches, but they still have some material ready. Echosmith get more contemplative in Inside A Dream, their EP that is leading them into a new era.

There's a new maturity in the writing of Inside A Dream. It's not overly optimistic and happy, in fact being fairly sad for a good amount of its run. Opening track 'Lessons' shines a light on their new sense of maturity, the song discussing the lessons vocalist Sydney Sierota has learned in her life and the ones she has yet to learn. The song has a cool acoustic guitar synth to keep the instrumental interesting, too, though the premise does feel a bit beaten to death by the end of it. '18' is similar in that regard, being a little too "woe is me" to hit a more personal level but still showing a growth in character.

Inside A Dream is a step in a new direction for Echosmith, so it's no surprise it has its bumps and isn't perfect. All the same, a lot of things are done really nicely. 'Get Into My Car' is a sweet song with a very nice atmosphere and nice lyrics, finding a nice balance of just basic enough with having a bit of complexity. 'Future Me' is a forward looking track, Sierota apologizing to her future self for the problems that will come about, but being okay with who she is in the present  and thus will be prepared to face those in the end. 'Dear World,' the EP's closing track, really nails everything together nicely, the sweet acoustic track seeing Sierota taking a more reserved vocal approach, the chorus sweetly chanting "Dear world, I'm writing this song for you / Dear world this ain't all I thought it would be / A few trips ago 'round the sun... I'm trying to find out what it means to be me, I feel like I've barely begun." There's a new depth and reflexiveness in her voice that really takes their music to the next step.

Echosmith get more contemplative in Inside A Dream, an imperfect EP that shows that this new era for the band is bound to be an interesting one. A mature step fits nicely into their sound, and their sophomore record is bound to be a good one if they follow in the footsteps of this EP.

Favorite Track: Dear World

Least Favorite Track: Hungry

Rating: 70 / 100

Stream or buy Inside A Dream on Apple Music: