Dream pop outfit Bodywash are back with lo-fi melancholia single “Follow” out today on Luminelle Recordings.
Following a jam session in a rehearsal room situated in their hometown of Montreal, Chris Steward and Rosie Long Decter formed Bodywash in 2014. Since then, they have bonded over their shared musical influences – all things dream pop and shoegaze – to reach a musical chemistry that was too good to ignore on their first EP – helpfully titled EP – and celestial debut album Comforter. Opening a new chapter, they are now giving us a taster of what’s to come with latest melancholy single “Follow”.
Awash with swirling synths and dreamy electronic drums, “Follow” possesses a true dream pop centre – they also use the tag cream pop. Tinkling guitars reverberate over Rosie Long Decter’s languid yet sweet voice, adding texture to this floating soundscape. The entire experience of “Follow” is one of being suspended amongst the clouds at dusk, with swathes of pinks and purples surrounding you; it’s visceral in its breeziness, both calming and unsettling in its comfort. However, delivering a predictable dream-pop track would be too easy for Bodywash. “Follow” ends up on a surprisingly epic electric guitar section, which actually encapsulates the liberating concept of the track.
“‘Follow’ comes from a lot of things: a gig gone wrong; a run-in at a birthday party; a coat rack I was too lazy to put up,” they stated. “I wrote it during a period when I was realizing that a lot of my relationships were rooted in trying to “help” or change people. Mostly, it’s about wanting to break that pattern, and to make peace with the fact that some people are better off apart. Sometimes you have to let go and hope that the person you miss is doing well, wherever they are.”