Rhymies is the solo project of Lauren Matsui (guitarists with San Francisco shoegaze act Seablite and post-punk outfit Neutrals), and I Dream Watching is her debut EP, out now via Dandy Boy Records. For this project Lauren has traded her two suitcases of guitar pedals for an assortment of Korgs, Rolands and Yamahas. The songs are built on arpeggiated melodies and sequences rooted in the nostalgia of an 80s dance party. The gauzy textures serve as a perfect base for Matsui’s breathy, wistful vocals. Often glimpsed through the mire of swirling guitars on Seablite records, here they take center stage, to great effect. Written, arranged, and recorded at home in her living room, the new EP centers on Matsui’s voice and her synths. The title track brings to mind another artistically successful convert from guitar-to-synth-pop, Patience (Roxanne Clifford of Veronica Falls), while Crashing Lead somehow fuses the bounce of early Madonna with the ethereal, surreal vocals of Cocteau Twins. It’s the closer (and shortest track at 2:40), Hesperian (Again) which points to what we can hope for in the future. It builds one layer at a time to an ecstatic crescendo, before abruptly leaving us with only the memory of the refrain – “When’s it happening?”. For Rhymies, if there’s any justice, the answer is NOW.

What She Says: “Making the video for I Dream Watching was a blast. I had been wanting to work with Lauren Melton after seeing the videos she did with Nothing Natural and Aluminum. When Lauren originally asked what kind of vibe I was thinking for this video, I sent her a clip from David Lynch’s Inland Empire. It’s a scene where Laura Dern is running in a spotlight down a wooded path, It’s my favorite scene in the movie.  I thought it captured the confusion between dreams and memories perfectly. When it came day of the shoot, we almost had to cancel due to rain, but decided to go for it anyway. I think the rain ended up helping me get into the right mood while filming. The shoot was mostly me being chased around the Morcom Rose Garden by Lauren and Chris Natividad, who was wielding a spotlight. Working with Lauren was wonderful—she is such a creative and talented person. She really nailed it! “

“I’ve noodled around with synths in the past, so this project is something I’ve been interested in exploring for a while now. I’ve always included a little bit more noise and my songs were kind of built out of jam sessions. This was an opportunity for me to make music in a more self-contained way. It was a little scary to have the vocals be more centered. It’s always a weird thing—you’d think I’d be used to hearing the sound of my own voice after all these years, but I still get caught off-guard sometimes. I do shy away from my voice at times, but I really pushed myself to kind of embrace what I sound like.”

What Bobby Martinez of Dandy Boy Records says: “Lauren made this insane tapestry of sound all by herself. Watching her perform the EP live for the first time blew my mind. She programmed and sequenced and arranged everything in the record- which is impressive enough- but performing it all live left me absolutely amazed. The way she constructs and builds these songs is truly remarkable.”

Her Mixtape:

Above Me – Shine Thru

This whole EP is AMAZING.  The track Shine Thru has that extra shiiiine!  Rick Altieri, also of Blue Ocean, has an incredible talent for creating textures that are chaotically beautiful. This track is a baggy shuffle floating through space on a lazy summer afternoon. I asked Rick to mix the EP because I respect his noisy soundscape sensibilities.

Asylum Party – Julia

I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first time I’ve put this track on a mixtape for someone, but that’s because it’s THAT good. There’s only vocals on the chorus and they really make it count.  The verses are pretty much a duel between gentle acoustic guitar and a ripping over driven lead, not to mention a heavily chorused bass holding it down.  One of my favorite songs of all time.

Still Ruins – Perfect Blue

Still Ruins are another one of my favorite local bands. The vocals are so beautiful and I love the way they dance through the song, accented with amazing synth textures and one hell of a guitar tone jangling throughout.

  

Teenage Filmstars – Inner Space

I want to live in this song.  There is a sense of warmth and home mixed with otherworldliness that really affects me.  It’s like reading Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation from the safety of my bed.

Amateur Hour – Buried Alive

I can’t remember how I first heard about this band, but when I got around to listening to the record, this track jumped out at me.  There’s something very breathable and alive about the way the instrumentation and vocals are blurred while buried under layers of ambient tones and noise.   

Martial Canterel – Don’t Let Me Go

This is a song I will never get tired of.  I’ve seen Xeno and Oaklander a few times and they always blow me away. Martial Canterel is Sean McBride’s solo project and I’m a huge fan.  The foundation sequence that runs through this song is so dark and driving, I love the way other synths intertwine with it.  I’ve only seen videos of him performing this song live, but maybe someday I’ll catch it in person!

  

Roger Doyle – Spring Is Coming With a Strawberry in the Mouth

This song came on in the van while Neutrals was on tour in the Pacific Northwest.  Allan was on dj duty and played this track, the vocals grabbed me immediately.  They’re all over the map, from talking to softly singing to operatic bursts. I also appreciate the lyrics, “Spring is coming with a strawberry in the mouth”. 

Tobias Bernstrup – Challenger

A friend of mine sent this track to me because they thought it seemed like something I’d be into, and they were 100% correct. This song checks all the boxes, it makes me want to dance hard. It does a really incredible job of capturing 80s pop jam perfection in a genuine way. 

I Dream Watching is out now via Dandy Boy Records. Look HERE for more information on Rhymies.