It’s been a couple of weeks now since Beautiful Things released their Dream World Revisited EP, and for that entire time, we’ve had it spinning on repeat.
So, fresh off the EP’s release, we asked frontwoman Dina D’Alessandro for a complete track-by-track run-down.
Fresh off the release of their new Dream World Revisited EP, Beautiful Things give us a complete run-down of each track.
Dream World (Sky Mix)
This is a song about betrayal and how it can change you. After it happens to you it’s like you were in a dream as far as your relationship with the betrayer was concerned. The harsh truth of your relationship comes at you quickly when the betrayal is revealed to you and it really stings. You lose your innocence and you’re never the same.
This ‘Sky Mix’ version came about because my band and I ended up making changes to the tempo, guitar pattern and sound fx of the original version to enhance its energy when we performed it live. We thought it would be great to record and release the song again in this new way.
Hey Hey Hey (Electric Mix)
I wrote this song about my experiences with the music industry, looking back to a time when I was much younger and more trusting. I let people guide me and represent me who didn’t have my best interests at heart – only their own. I learned so much from these experiences about human nature which ultimately strengthened me and made me a smarter, wiser person. I wanted this song to be empowering, hence the lyric “I won’t be a victim, no never again.” I’ve since chosen the people I surround myself within all areas of my life very carefully and have learned to trust my intuition. It’s made all the difference.
We were inspired to re-do this song from its original version because we thought it would sound great with more electronics and heavier guitars. Many of the ideas on this one came from our bass player Billy who spent lots of time in his studio experimenting with new sounds for it.
When the Night Comes Down (Bliss Mix)
This song is about overcoming anxiety and fear when making decisions about your life. I’ve had some dark times in my past where I was filled with anxiety about my future and my abilities and that attitude didn’t serve me well, nor does it serve anyone well. I had to learn to overcome fear and make bold decisions that ultimately improved my life. You can’t just stay in your comfort zone because then you will never grow.
I chose to do a remix of this song because I thought it would be a good contender to re-do with some new electronic soundscapes I had been experimenting with in my studio. I stripped the song to its skeleton and re-did it using these new sounds and then gave it to our bass player Billy who added his ideas.
Astronaut – Space Mix and Acoustic Mix
Astronaut is a song about the pressures I’ve been under to give up my ambitions and have a family and a traditional life. I get criticized about not having children a lot. People have told me I’m selfish for devoting my life to my art. Obviously, I’ve never agreed with these people. Everyone has their own path and purpose and it’s no one’s place to judge anyone. You never know what people have been through and why they’ve made the decisions they’ve made.
Our keyboard player Sean wanted to remix the original version because he had been inspired by some of the EDM he was listening to at the time. He gave us some unique and very creative stems to play with. I then took what he had done and added my ideas. Billy worked on some finishing touches.
The acoustic mix is pretty much exactly how we perform it live when we are playing an acoustic show. I thought it would be fun to include this version on the EP as well in the hopes that people might get a kick out of hearing the different versions of the same song.
All of these songs were mixed by a wonderful producer here in LA named Michael Rozon. He also contributed a lot to the vibes of each song during his mixing process.
Dream World Revisited is available now. Listen above.
