Dreamers is among the new breed of Pop Rock bands that follow in the footsteps of ’90s forebearers like Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday, but bring a contemporary melodic edge to the table. The New York-based trio — guitarist/vocalist Nick Wold, bassist Marc Nelson and drummer Jacob Lee Wick — has made a tremendous impact in a relatively short time. Just months after Dreamers’ 2014 formation, Alternative Press magazine cited them as one of their 100 Bands You Need to Know.
The group’s journey began when Wold relocated from Seattle to New York after high school to study Jazz saxophone at New York University’s Steinhardt School, along with fellow high school Jazz band pals Chris Bagamery and Andrew McGovern. The trio met New Jersey native David Leondi and formed the Grunge outfit Motive, which got regular video play on MTV’s 120 Minutes with the songs “It’s Illicit” and “What’s So Bad,” but quickly ran its course.
In 2014, Wold and Bagamery crossed paths with Nelson and formed Dreamers. The band’s first single, “Wolves (You Got Me),” was released that July and found its way into the playlist of Sirius XM’s Alt Nation channel. Dreamers’ self-titled debut EP dropped in November and the AP/100 Bands write-up followed a month later.
Dreamers returned to the West Coast in 2015, relocating to Los Angeles and losing Bagamery in the process; he was replaced by Jacob Lee Wick. In early 2016, the trio released its sophomore EP, You Are Here, which was quickly followed by a new single, “Sweet Disaster,” and the group’s debut full length, This Album Does Not Exist.
The bulk of the album’s songs were written by Wold prior to their move to Los Angeles. During this period, Dreamers picked up tours with Stone Temple Pilots, Arkells, Atlas Genius and Airborne Toxic Event, among others, and earned a reputation as an engaging live act.
After a long, rigorous touring cycle, Dreamers released the first two EPs in a proposed trilogy this year; the four-song Launch came out in July and the five-song Fly was released earlier this month. With that kind of turnaround, the third EP could theoretically be released before the end of the year, and some of its songs could well be included in the band’s current set list.
For a group of Dreamers, they’ve made a whole lot of reality happen in just four years.
