Dream You Away represents the moment that will undoubtedly define what Sibling do in future. It definitely won’t be their former pop-rock guise producing material that was serviceable yet totally unremarkable, but the complete overhaul for something much more distinctive. Pop-rock has been swapped out for hollow, atmospheric emo and darker, more substantial subject matter.
It’s one hell of a shift, but it’s also one that puts Sibling into a far more favourable light, developing real character and pathos that’s imperative for carrying on at this level. Because make no mistake, Dream You Away sees Sibling at their strongest level to date, even on a purely instrumental level. The gorgeously languid guitars on the title track and Tu Me Manques shimmer with light tones and textures, and with ex-Hindsights frontman Benio Baumgart having the range to pull off quiet vulnerability and moments of cathartic uplift with equal force, there’s barely a stitch out of place in the way that Sibling weave together their soundscape.
Factor in the lyrics that are just as crucial of an element, and Dream You Away‘s elegiac, emotional punch hits even harder. That’s because this is an EP about leaving a mentally abusive relationship and the laborious tolls it leaves on the mind of the abused. With the manipulation and subsequent feigned apologies on Love/Sick, as well as Baumgart’s vocals that constantly sound on the edge of breaking, there’s weight here that leads to the visible fractures on the title track and Tu Me Manques, and the unfortunate acceptance that this isn’t something that can easily be gotten over on Breathe In. As broad as this all is to leave the opportunity for anyone going through a similar situation to imprint upon it, there’s the concession in both the writing and delivery that suggests a lived-in quality that really does make for a bleak listen.
But even so, the gall to tackle a subject like this, and in a manner that feels entirely tasteful and poignant at that, puts Dream You Away head and shoulders above most EPs released this year. Sibling fine tuning their endeavours to this degree shows a level of conviction and professionalism that new bands can often lack, but one that should see them sticking around for the long haul.
8/10
For fans of: Jimmy Eat World, Moose Blood, Citizen
Words by Luke Nuttall
‘Dream You Away’ by Sibling is released on 30th June on Close To Home Records.
