''I'm Dreaming'' is the debut studio album by Australian electronic musician and producer
Alice Ivy
Annika Schmarsel (born 8 July 1993), known by her stage name Alice Ivy, is an Australian electronic musician and producer. Alice Ivy was the winner of the 2016 Triple J Unearthed Listen Out competition. She has released three studio albums: '' I ...
, released on 9 February 2018 by
Dew Process
Dew Process is an Australian independent record label, based in Brisbane, Queensland, founded and owned by Australian music industry figure Paul Piticco.
Operational
The label operates in two primary areas: traditional development of Australi ...
in Australia and New Zealand and by
Last Gang Records
Last Gang Records is a record label formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton in the fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Last Gang was nominated as Independent Record Label of th ...
internationally. It was written, composed, and produced by Alice Ivy under her real name; Annika Schmarsel.
Background and promotion
The album contains many of Alice Ivy's previously released standalone singles. "Charlie" featuring Georgia van Etten, originally released on 3 January 2015. The second single "Touch" also featuring van Etten, originally released on 25 January 2016 with its music video later released in February. The third single, "Almost Here" featuring RaRa, was originally released on 23 June 2016. The fourth single, "Get Me a Drink" featuring
E^ST and Charlie Threads, was originally released on 9 March 2017. The fifth and final single, "Be Friends" featuring Cazeaux O.S.L.O. and Tim De Cotta, was released on 22 September 2017.
From February to March 2018, Alice Ivy performed an eight date headline tour to promote her debut album. On all East Coast dates, Alice Ivy was accompanied by Melbourne soul artist Nasty Mars, with local opening slots going to Oh Boy, Keelan Mak, François, Sophiegrophy, Strictface & Skivvybeats.
Writing and composition
All songs on the album were written by Alice Ivy herself. The album is supported by many guest vocalists including; Georgia van Etten, Cazeaux O.S.L.O., Tim De Cotta,
Bertie Blackman
Beatrice "Bertie" Blackman (born 1982) is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She rose to fame in 2004 with her debut album ''Headway'', which came after years of prolific performances around Sydney's inner-city venues, where she deve ...
, RaRa,
E^ST, and Charlie Threads. The track "Touch" contains samples from the 1951 ''
Alice in Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...
'' film. The track "Charlie" contains soundbites from various television commercials from the 1950s. The track "Chasing Stars" tells the story of "Lincoln Beachey, the first person to do a loop to loop in an airplane. The music has many layers which depict the endless landscape of the sky."
The album's genre has been described as
chillwave
Chillwave (originally considered synonymous with glo-fi and hypnagogic pop) is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It is characterized by evoking the popular music of the late 1970s and early 1980s while engaging with notions of ...
,
downtempo
Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...
,
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic c ...
,
while also incorporating elements of
plunderphonics
Plunderphonics is a music genre in which tracks are constructed by sampling (music), sampling recognizable musical works. The term was Neologism, coined by composer John Oswald (composer), John Oswald in 1985 in his essay "Plunderphonics, or Aud ...
,
neo-psychedelia
Neo-psychedelia is a genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the music production approaches and songwriting of 1960s psychedelia, either exploring emulations of the sounds of the era or applying its ethos to new styles of music ...
,
nu jazz
Nu jazz (also spelt nü jazz or known as jazztronica, or future jazz) is a genre of jazz and electronic music. The music blends jazz elements with other musical styles, such as funk, electronic music, and free improvisation.
Nu jazz typically ve ...
,
big beat
Big beat is an electronic music genre that usually uses heavy breakbeats and synthesizer-generated loops and patterns – common to acid house/techno. The term has been used by the British music industry to describe music by artists such as the ...
, and
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
.
Critical reception
The album received positive reviews. ''LunchBox'' rated the album 4/5 and said: "It is easy to be taken away into a tranquil state of mind when listening to this record."
Rating the album positively, Sarah Pritchard from ''Altmedia'' said: "Alice Ivy's debut is a creative triumph and an example of how not to lose heart when surrounded by too much choice, the album is the result of a discerning, musically trained mind."
Paul Waxman of ''Beat'' rated it positively, saying: "Alice Ivy's impressive debut really is a dream, each track taking the listener to a new but familiar place. And like every good dream, you feel sad once it's over."
''Sungenre'', in a positive review said: "''I'm Dreaming'' is an impressive effort from an all-in-one breakout producer who should be monitored closely."
Track listing
Notes
* Georgia van Etten is featured in "Charlie" but is only credited on the single's SoundCloud page, not in the track's title.
Personnel
Credits adapted from
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
.
Musicians
*
Annika Schmarsel - guitar, vocals, mixing, mastering, writing, producer
Additional musicians
* Georgia van Etten – vocals
* Cazeaux O.S.L.O. – vocals
* Tim de Cotta – vocals
*
Bertie Blackman
Beatrice "Bertie" Blackman (born 1982) is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She rose to fame in 2004 with her debut album ''Headway'', which came after years of prolific performances around Sydney's inner-city venues, where she deve ...
– vocals
* RaRa – vocals
*
E^ST – vocals
*
Charlie Threads – vocals
* Connor Black Harry – backing vocals
* Luy Amiel – guitar
* Sam Dowson – drums
Technical
* Ben Coe – mastering
* Phil Threlfall – mixing
* Cam Bluff – mixing
* Simon Lam – mastering
Release history
References
{{Authority control
Alice Ivy albums
2018 debut albums
Dew Process albums