Are your nightmares keeping you up at night? Do they happen to be about a horrible backstabbing breakup experience? Well, multi-instrumentalist and complete badass Taylor Hughes’ new project pure xtc has the cure for you! The talented performer’s latest single, “Bad Dreams,” explores “the worst break up of your life” and is intended as a hand to hold during your darkest times until you finally say “fuck this, I’m amazing” and move on from being sad to just straight pissed.
But, does Taylor Hughes have enough passion for delivering on these themes of woe and despair enough to shine a light at the end of the tunnel for listeners? Or, will she remain alone in the darkness, being consumed by the demons within? Let’s find out.
The Review
“I’ve been having bad dreams about you/All the stupid things you tried to drag me through,” these lyrics are more than enough to feel the jagged edge of a rusty blade slicing through the heart. The despair and emotional quality presented in “Bad Dreams” is enough to make it my favorite track from an up-and-coming artist in 2021. Taylor Hughes walks through the darkness in her latest single to perform a complex exorcism to reclaim the hearts of the damned; listeners worldwide will finally be able to reclaim their glass shattered hearts from their bleeding chests.
“It starts the same, every night/I won’t back down but it’s not my fight,” the truth has never been brighter than the words Taylor Hughes has written under the midnight oil. The lyrical quality presented within “Bad Dreams” is simply too good to write a barebones paragraph. I could listen to the words sung within “Bad Dreams” for hours, something I did. Listeners will quickly grasp the lyrics presented before them as they quickly sing-along from dusk till dawn, a protective light in the dark as they drift to dreamland. “I hope you have bad dreams.”
Instrumentally, “Bad Dreams” drops listeners into a pit of betrayal and resistance before bursting into a fiery phoenix taking flight. Everything from the heartbeat-like drum beats that completely captivate the senses to the subtle airy quality present from start to finish. “Bad Dreams” is a project created out of despair that quickly turned into an anthem for the broken, creating a perfect storm of imperfections that will lead listeners to the closure they might desire.
Accompanying the phenomenal, supernatural nature of “Bad Dreams” instrumental quality is the outstanding vocal performance by Taylor Hughes. I was captivated for the entire almost four-minute runtime. This is a vocalist who knows what she wants, how she wants to present herself, and the ins and outs of taking hold of listeners’ musical interests. Might I add, “Bad Dreams” also sounds like it’s ready for a prime-time thriller movie or TV soundtrack. The quality is incredible. I’ll continue to have this one on repeat for months. Especially now that spooky season is finally around the corner.
Wrapping Up
To further explain my soundtrack comparison, I quickly had images of my all-time favorite film, Donnie Darko flashing before my eyes, as well as a blood-drenched Archie Andrews from Riverdale style scenario as well. “Bad Dreams” is a once in a long time style of track and is only presented in a way that Taylor Hughes’ pure xtc can deliver. It’s raw, powerful, emotional, and has all the qualities of a relatable song that will have listeners coming back for more; as I said, hands down my favorite track from an up-and-coming artist in the year 2021, no competition.
Luckily, if you enjoy pure xtc’s latest single, “Bad Dreams,” you won’t have to wait long for even more brooding goodness as pure xtc plans on releasing their debut EP, Nobody’s Home, featuring “Bad Dreams” on November 12th.
If you’d like to keep tabs on all things pure xtc, I highly suggest checking out their official website, where you’ll find social links, badass merch, and future tour dates.
