Sometimes the best dreams break your heart when you open your eyes. "In my dreams, you are alive and breathing," Youth Group's Toby Martin sings in "In My Dreams," adding, "standing in my door like St. Stephen." The Australian band's soaring, ebullient choruses provide the perfect, heartbreaking counterpoint to Martin's quieter, melancholy verses — the dream versus the reality of loss.
Death can be a tricky subject to tackle in music, but "In My Dreams" is gorgeous and spot-on. Martin's pure vocals give voice to a broad spectrum of emotions, from stoicism ("I understand that the root of pain is beauty") to short-lived expressions of joy, with the music ebbing and flowing perfectly behind him. A beautifully rendered portrait of grieving — and the celebration of the tumultuous rollercoaster of emotions behind it — "In My Dreams" scores an emotional bull's-eye.
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