I have always found it strange how undisturbed and uninterested people are by their own dreams. When the lights turn off and the opportunities and threats of real life fade, we all fill the void with our own horrors, mysteries, and adventures. If I go to bed after eating a bit too much, I might wake up with memories of my friends turning into zombies, or of encounters with extraterrestrial life. Then like everyone else, I get up and do the same things I did yesterday without another thought. In each of us exists an inescapable engine of imaginative creation which heightens emotion and spectacle while ignoring sense and reason, yet we pretend the latter forces are in charge while awake. To this day, there exists no broad scientific consensus about the nature and purpose of dreams.
In A House Of Heartbeats are a band from Essex in the UK who create extensive journeys of instrumental post rock and post metal to evoke sleep and dreams. Describing their music as ‘soundtracks for euphoric nightmares’, they aim to bring listeners into deep and unsettling waters, which cling to the ears like dreams cling to the mind, and ultimately provide pleasure. They draw from a wide array of sounds in order to achieve this effect, making it hard to pin them down beyond the nebulous label of post-rock. This is because the experience of their music is more important to them than genre: rather than emphasize their musical influences, they more readily name artists in other mediums who have explored the mysteries of dreams:
‘In many ways, we’re as much inspired by the surreal films of David Lynch, Dario Argento and Robert Liene (The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari) and the literary works of HP Lovecraft, Mark Z Danielewski and Clive Barker, as we are by musical artists. We also delve into history, folklore and phenomena for inspiration too, with references to oneiromancy and sleep demons (the incubus/succubus)’
On January 16, the band will release their debut album, Divination Of Dreams, via Ripcord Records, premiering here at Everything Is Noise. It contains seven tracks written at various points since the band formed in 2022. Each one has its own approach to creating their desired ‘euphoric nightmare’ effect. Some churn past the ten minute mark with rocking grooves and soaring guitar leads, while others develop immersive, textured interludes. The lead singles “…Perchance to Dream”, “Oneiromancy for Beginners”, and “Cambion” remain highlights on the full length. So too is the enthralling “Parasomniac”. Overall, listeners can expect dynamic, often surprising shifts in many pieces that make this album much less predictable than your typical post rock. Though it is instrumental, Divination Of Dreams features eerie, clinical samples from parasomniacs and sleep therapists that lend some concrete meaning, recalling Swans and Dream Theater in equal measure.
In A House Of Heartbeats have also enlisted some renowned names as partners in production for this album. The band recorded it at the famous Holy Mountain Studios in London, whose vintage equipment has brought a cohesive sound to these differently-written songs. With studio owner Misha Hering on mixing and Cult of Luna’s Magnus Lindberg on mastering, the music is held up by the mastery of two veterans in post rock and post metal, in addition to the band’s own impressive talents. These choices allow the album’s atmosphere to shine all the brighter, and its payoffs to hit all the harder.
I hope you enjoy Divination Of Dreams as much as I did. You can find it and other work by In A House Of Heartbeats on their Bandcamp page. Check updates for their merch and, for our UK friends, live shows on their Facebook and Instagram. You can also find some more epic post rock and post metal from Ripcord Records on their Bandcamp, Facebook, and Instagram. Sweet dreams!
