In A Dream is the 5th body of work from Perth native and former internet sensation Troye Sivan. His musical career in its current incarnation began in 2014 with the release of TRXYE, a promising addition to the world of angst-ridden alternative pop, a genre being popularised at the time by the likes of Lorde and Halsey. Since then Sivan has earned himself a place within the pop mainstream, with his 2015 debut album Blue Neighbourhood arguably completing the remarkably successful transition from the world of YouTube into the music industry. His musical resumé now boasts collaborations with the likes of Lauv, Charli XCX and Ariana Grande, with no sign of slowing down. However, this new release has a degree of intimacy to it you would not perhaps expect from such a global superstar. There is a homemade feeling to In A Dream – something that is certainly helped by the fact that this release has coincided with the current global situation, forcing Sivan to create and promote certain elements of his EP from his home in Melbourne. He posted a video to his twitter a few days ago in which he explained how he was making teasers and promos for the EP totally by himself, prompting him to jokingly comment ‘Thank god I used to be a YouTuber’.

The impact of the global situation on this EP does not begin and end, however, with Sivan simply editing together some promo from his bedroom. Take the aptly named ‘Take Yourself Home’ for example. This song was actually released earlier than anticipated by Sivan in April this year, after posting on Instagram back in March that he was ‘going rogue’ and wanted to release more music. This song perfectly captures the feeling at the time, of worldwide anxiety over what was coming next, and the prospect of being trapped inside with no real way of knowing when it would all end. ‘I’m tired of the city / Scream if you’re with me / If I’m gonna die let’s die somewhere pretty’ Sivan sings, professing his dislike of a landscape he now can’t escape. There is an existentialism to In A Dream’s opening track that hides itself behind Troye’s usual brand of soft dance pop, which is then violently released in the song’s outro. This breakdown of musical structure and melody feels akin to something out of a Charli XCX album, and on the first listen it may seem quite jarring. However, for me, this outro serves as a breaking point for Sivan, tipping us fully into the the album’s dreamworld where he can talk candidly about desires, mistakes, love, loss and lust without being held back.

This takes us into ‘Easy,’ the second single released by Troye prior to the EP’s release. ‘Easy’ tells the tale of a relationship in peril, from the perspective of Sivan who is situated in the role of a cheating boyfriend begging for forgiveness. ‘Tell me we’ll make it through’ Sivan pleads, admitting that ‘he made it easy.’ Whilst Sivan’s position in this narrative shouldn’t be a character you would feel for, his raw honesty makes you lean in and listen. Over soft dance beats and shimmery synths, Troye lists off his wrongdoings, ‘What’s left of the dance? / The smell on my hands / The rock in my throat, a hair on my coat / The stranger at home, my darling.’ Despite this there is a sweetness and a level of fun to this track. Notably, the line ‘This house is on fire, woo!’ ensures the song steers clear of drowning in the sorrow of a breakup, and will plant itself firmly in your brain for weeks on end. Meanwhile, the following interlude ‘could cry just thinkin about you’ feels all the sadness ‘Easy’ is reluctant to feel. A barely audible Troye mumbles over a combination of acoustic guitar and piano merged with brooding bass guitar, giving the track a 70s feel. ‘could cry just thinkin about you’ is the hazy, tear-soaked companion to the punchy clarity of ‘Easy’, giving us an insight into the multiplicity of feelings Sivan is experiencing as this relationship ends.

At the end of ‘could cry just thinkin about you,’ Sivan remarks that ‘I don’t know who I am, with or without you / But I guess I’m ’bout to find out’, and the next track ‘STUD’ is exactly that. The opening of ‘STUD’ feels like something straight out of Frank Ocean’s discography. Its distorted piano and vocals sit over a purring baseline, setting a moody and flirtatious vibe. Sivan croons over an attractive stranger, telling them they’ve ‘got all the muscles and the features I want’ and that they can ‘come and meet me out front.’ The growing excitement of this game being played between Sivan and this handsome stranger is reflected in the song’s production, as it swells into a pulsating dance number that manages to stay true to the brooding atmosphere established by Sivan in the opening. For me, ‘STUD’ is one of the EP’s strongest offerings. This is a Troye we have seen before in part, with elements of this track harking back to previous releases such as 2014’s ‘Touch.’ However, there is a grittiness to ‘STUD’ that is a refreshing twist in Sivan’s repertoire, adding a level of polish to the EP’s overall sound. In contrast, where ‘STUD’ signals the emergence of a new Troye, ‘Rager teenager!’ is the opposite. This song feels like a homage to the Troye of five years ago, both on a personal and musical level. Here Troye pens an attempt to get back in touch with his inner teenage self, the person who would ‘do some shit just to try.’ He expresses a desire to go ‘wild’, referencing his 2015 EP of the same name. Additionally (at least in my opinion), the production here feels much more akin to his Wild/Blue Neighbourhood era. I liked this nod to Troye’s past, especially on an EP that feels like its speeding into something new and unexplored for Sivan and his fans. It’s gentle, a breather from the rip-roaring ‘STUD’, and allows us to gear up for the EP’s final (and title) track.

Title track ‘IN A DREAM’ upon first listen felt like an instant hit. Laser sound effects paired with powerful drums and synths create an overtly 80s feel to the song that makes you want to get up and dance. Everything about it feels bold and new, contrasting hugely from the nostalgia of ‘Rager teenager!’. One of my favourite moments on this EP occurs in between these two final songs. At the end of ‘Rager teenager!’ a sound akin to an accelerator can be heard, suggesting that perhaps we have been in the past throughout In A Dream, and now we are speeding towards something explosive, something new. The lyrical content of this track feels like Sivan is starting over, as he takes a ‘hammer to my phone’ and pledges to himself that he ‘can’t let you in again’. It’s a track that looks forward to the future, and arguably after this EP Sivan’s future is brighter than ever. This project has showcased that Sivan’s producing and songwriting abilities have sharpened, making In A Dream a firm career highlight for this Australian singer songwriter. I can’t wait to see what else Troye Sivan has in store for this new and exciting era.

Rating: 9/10

In A Dream is now available via Universal Music

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