There’s been a lot of interesting work coming out of the American underground for the better part of the last year, but in her new single titled “Dream Fever,” singer Cleo Alexandra reveals a more complex side to her compositional personality than some will be ready to fully understand. Much of her melody-first attitude is dominant in the mastering of this single and its accompanying video, but much like the lauded works of Calvin Harris, I’m detecting a shift towards the surreal in her sound that is at once both reserved and impossible to ignore – if such a thing is even possible to begin with.
The beat in “Dream Fever,” to start off, is a scene-stealer for sure, but when countered with the dreamlike vocals provided by our agile singer and creative mastermind, it softens and becomes more of an accent than the straight-up center of this song.
Wrapped around the rhythm is a bassline that slithers more than it slinks, but never to such an extent as to drag on the lyrics. While the instruments move at one speed, the singer moves at another, forcing a bit of contrast into the spotlight. We’re hearing two independent elements intertwining to make one sensuous dance, not dissimilar to young lust itself, and it’s because of this that the single becomes one of the more refreshing listens I’ve encountered this year.
This artist isn’t tasked with doing as much with her life, but she nonetheless reminds the world that the underground beat has an intriguing sound emerging from the shadows that we really cannot afford to count out of the game in 2022. One of my favorite new singers and songwriters in or outside of her insular scene at the moment, Alexandra stuns in “Dream Fever,” partnering with a set of ace grooves and keen lyrical wits that need opportunities to own the headlines from this point forward.
