Meet Peel Dream Magazine

Today’s musical bandits have a name that is dang fun to say. Peel Dream Magazine… Makes me think of tearing out pages from all my magazines as a young ‘un and plastering them on my bedroom wall.

(Side note: don’t use chewed gum to do this. Gorilla Glue is an even worse idea. You will leave a massive hole(s) in said bedroom wall and inspire sincere rage within your parents.)

High school home improvements aside, we called up these spectacular shoe gaze rockers fresh off the release of their latest album, Agitprop Alterna. Below, we talk fortune cookies, the group’s origin story, and the beauty of 90’s nostalgia.

A self-portrait by Peel Dream Magazine

Would You Rather

only be able to talk in fortune cookies, or backward? Why?

I could probably get by with fortune cookies - I could supplement with hand gestures and facial expressions. I'm good at that kind of stuff.

Some questions with Peel Dream Magazine

How did Peel Dream Magazine come to be?

I started the project in 2017, just making these repetitive, keyboard-driven pop songs. I was holed up in my apartment, always writing. My friend Shaun got a demo I made in the hands of Slumberland records, who told me they wanted to release it, which was super exciting for me. From there, Peel Dream Magazine just kind of stumbled into existence. The way I'm telling it, it sounds quite boring maybe? I'm skipping over some of the superfluous backstory stuff. That demo was named Modern Meta Physic, and put out as our first album. In order to play live I started playing with an amazing rotating cast of friends, and my friend Joe started helping us with booking. From Shaun to Slumberland to my bandmates to Joe, it just felt a little mafia was taking shape. I don't think a band is a real band until they have a little mafia operation in place. It took me a sec to arrive at the current lineup, but things are at a really good place. Couldn't be luckier, especially since I'm playing with some old friends that keep this whole thing grounded and, like, familial.

Describe your sound in three colors.

Changes to be honest. Right now - violet, blue, and black.

Do you prefer to play live or in the studio?

That is a tough one. I've explained in some interviews that I don't exactly love playing live, unless the sound and vibe are really good -- then it's like the best thing ever. The studio for me is the place where I get to really be myself, free from the constraints of the "rock show vaudeville", and it's all about trying stuff out and having privacy and (most of all) growing as a musician. So yea the short answer is that I prefer the studio. BUT over time I have come to really love the connection I get from performing when I feel like we're getting the vibe across. I think you can grow a lot as a musician from playing live too, maybe just in different ways.

What was the inspiration behind your upcoming release, Agitprop Alterna?

Agitprop Alterna is mash up of Agitprop (Agitation Propaganda, or a work of art meant to spur societal action) and Alterna, which is a seldom-used abbreviation of Alternative (as in, the musical genre). So it's like a fictitious music genre. I wanted to make a record that required some interpretation on the part of the listener, and I felt like it was fun to frame it as being like a Brechtian play, where audiences are encouraged to question what is presented to them, and through that process, practice more critical thinking. A lot of the songs are about maintaining your own independence in the face of forces that are out to control you - governments, advertisers, abusers. Some of the songs are literally about Brecht's writings -- tussling between him and Aristotle. Loosely, its a concept album. On another level its just a pop record.

How does nostalgia play into your work?

When I write music I go by what feels gorgeous, and I do think that a lot of the time I reach for nostalgia to that end. I was raised in the 90s, and even though I wasn't listening to all of the great 90s music I've discovered as an adult, the DNA of it is all there from when I was a kid. I can't explain it -- it actually has more to do with chords and melodies than guitar effects and styles. People say Peel Dream Magazine is very nostalgic - but I think people should also keep in mind that it's something I've conjured in my own head having not actually ever been a part of that music, so it all has bits and pieces of me that are arbitrary.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Straight up amorphous "garage rock". That shit killed rock music.

Which was better, Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network?

As a little kid I fantasized about being "discovered" by the producers of All That and joining the cast. That's really true. Nickelodeon was my choice 100%. Loved the grotesque, psychedelic nick-toons. Drifted off to sleep with fantasies of agro-crag.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Go listen to and/or buy Agitprop Alterna!! Out Friday 4/3 :)

Peel Dream Magazine