Dream-pop and Daisy Girls: Lilac Haze’s promising debut EP ‘My Dreamworld’
The dream-pop artist leaves a lasting impression with her debut EP.
Photo: Press
Lilac Haze is the project of Bath-based singer-songwriter Katrina Swift, and her debut EP – My Dreamworld – more than lives up to its name, delivering four tracks of sublime dream-pop that more than once feel like an aimless wander into some strange, pink-misted plane of existence; one of sorrow and curiosity. Daisy Girl, the opening track, is a masterpiece of indie rock, with delicate vocals from Swift sandwiched between beautifully woven melodies.
The second track from My Dreamworld, December Dreams, takes the form of a guitar-sprinkled ballad, Swift calling out from the ether, channelling her inner impassioned spirit. It’s the most ethereal track on the EP, part song and part wild, untamed beast, accompanied by a piece of delectably airy guitar to close it out.
My Dreamworld and Under the Blue Velvet Sky, meanwhile, are the most tender offerings on the suite, punctuated with guitar and piano notes dripping with melancholy. There’s a feeling of intense loss across the EP, owing to a kind of ‘between worlds’ state in My Dreamworld that’s tough to really put into words. Nevertheless, there are trip-hop, psychedelic and indie-rock influences aplenty, making for a fascinating EP that’s worth listening to more than once. Listen out, and you can hear Swift’s long-lasting inspirations in there; Fleetwood Mac’s dreamy harmonies, the creeping ambience of The Cure.
My Dreamworld is a gentle extended play, but one which throws a punch when it needs to, fusing familiarly catchy indie licks with diaphanous dream waltzes. Lilac Haze’s debut showcases some of the best this strange little genre has to offer, echoing the likes of Del Rey, and Weyes Blood’s 2022 album, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow.
My Dreamworld is out now via KWS Blank Canvas Music.