Dreams of Water Review/HBSB Interview

Back in June, Backstage Press brought you an exclusive interview with Matt Fazzi's new band, Happy Body Slow Brain. He, along with bandmates Isaac Bolivar and Eduardo Torres, had just wrapped up recording Dreams of Water, which was released earlier this month.

Though many fans might know Fazzi from his stint in Taking Back Sunday, Dreams of Water proves that he is capable of much more than just fast alternative rock. Each song on Dreams has a different feel - from R&B bass-driven tunes to your standard rock song, it's all there.

One thing is for sure, this is a musical departure from Taking Back Sunday. But, that's not exactly a bad thing. What we have with Dreams is a record that grabs at many different genres to make one cohesive record.

"HBSB is limitless to us," said Fazzi via e-mail. "We don't feel confined to any one genre or style. Mixing it up is just too much fun. With TBS, there was an expectation sonically so you couldn't really mess with the formula all that much."

Happy Body Slow Brain: Making the Record from happybodyslowbrain on Vimeo.

If mixing it up is what HBSB are going after, they certainly accomplished their goal. "Never Loved," the third track on Dreams, switches at the breakdown from a smooth, lightly distorted guitar track to a crunchier, rhythmic tune that will surprise you mid-song.

Listeners should be ready to hear more than your standard guitar, bass and drums lineup, too. There's plenty of synth and piano melodies in the mix. You even get an instrumental piece mid-record ("The Flight"), which Fazzi took the time to explain to us.

"Most of the guitar/bass/synth tones we just kinda figured out along the way," said Fazzi. "We are so pumped and proud of how it turned out. It also rained heavily while we were there which had a big influence on the vibe."

The band are currently streaming Dreams here, as well as selling digital download packages loaded with tons of freebies. If you order, you'll receive the 13-track record download, the official cover art, individual artwork for every song, a documentary of the making of Dreams, an album cover poster, lyrics sheet, a band portrait and a video for "The Flight."

And if you like what you hear, and live on the East Coast, check HBSB out live. They're touring now through mid-October.