indie pop duo idle dream releases their new uplifting single 'the first time'

Based in Dublin, pop-rock duo Idle Dream went through a few line-up changes to arrive at its current incarnation. Formed by Chris McGrath (vocals) as a bedroom project, he found himself uninspired and in need of adding a fresh face to the mix. Connor McCabe joined on guitar in January 2020, giving the project a renewed purpose and energy.
 
Influenced in spirit and sound by pop legends Bowie, Bush, and The Pet Shop Boys, the melodic and arrangement aspects of art pop as an aesthetic are important to Idle Dream in a big way.

Building up a repertoire of new songs during lockdown, the duo are raring for the material to be heard, starting with ‘The First Time’, which was released on 20 August 2021 and captures a wild abandonment tempered by responsibility.

Prior to Connor McCabe joining the once-solo project, Chris had already written and recorded ‘The First Time’ with producer Ben Haynes. The duo then put the finishing touches on the song together in Dublin’s Soundcaster Studios.
 
The essence of the song is underpinned with far more anxiety than the melody’s hopeful, uplifting feel would portray. It deals with the ideas of young love in its later stages, inspired by the idea of falling for someone wholly as you could when you were younger, but being faced with the push-backs and complications of responsibility and personal history.
 
On the verse, Chris affirms ‘I wanna know you when you’re sober’, digging into the ways in which we mask our trepidation and anxiety at the beginning of a burgeoning romance. The crashing guitars are powerfully emotive, driving the force of this feeling to peaks and troughs throughout.
 
The duo is working on a new batch of upcoming singles – and possibly what's shaping up to be an EP. Stay tuned.