Neon Dreams: 'Tracks Like These Remind Me Why I Love Collaborating'

Synchronicity is a beautiful thing. On the 19th of January 2023, alternative pop duo and self-described “sunshine music” makers Neon Dreams began work on a new song. On the 19th of January 2024, the end result – dubbed The Art Of Letting Go – was released to the world.

The multifaceted, brightly coloured track was the duo's latest in a string of new music put out since their third album, Love Child Baby Dolphin, was released in early 2023. The environment from which it stemmed, however, was one that was an entirely alien one to what the Halifax band had ever been accustomed to prior.

“Touring in South Africa was the most insane thing I've ever experienced,” begins Adrian Morris – the drumming, producing half of the group. “I don't know if you've heard what December is like there, but it's like a whole month of what they call 'jolling' – everywhere you looked, there was a party happening. We connected with this artist named Matthew Mole while we were there, and we almost immediately clicked on this deep level. The vibe was there, so we wanted to see if it would stay there when we wrote together.”

Sure enough, the pair began working with Mole almost straight away – even with the release of Love Child Baby Dolphin looming, they insisted on striking while the iron was hot. Looking back, they're really glad that they did. “The thing I really like about this song is that it sounds like all three of our albums in one song,” says lead vocalist Frank Kadillac.

“There's, like, four to five genres going at any given time. Our music has ranged from heavy spirituality to a lot of guitar-based rock stuff and a lot of digital, electronic-sounding music – and you get glimpses of all of that across this song.”

“A lot of that has to do with Matthew's presence,” adds Morris. “He was really excited by this idea of mixing all these genres and was really hands-on with the collaboration process. Tracks like these really remind me why I love collaborating with people – before you walk into that room together, you just have no idea what's gonna come out of it.”

Taking its title from a famed self-help book, The Art Of Letting Go is an optimistic song about taking solace in the music that you love at times when nothing else feels like it's going your way. Kadillac found himself inspired to write the lyrics when recalling a moment he had to assist a stranger in facing their very own fears. “I was on a flight from India, and this girl was sleeping next to me on a plane,” he says. 

“She woke up in this state of panic and confusion, asking where she was. She was really young, maybe 16, and she just unloaded about her life situation to me. She was really upset, and I really wanted to cheer her up and give her reassurance. The way I found I was able to do that was by talking about music with her. I told her that when I was upset like she was, I listened to bands that uplifted me – when I was her age, it was bands like Linkin Park and Coldplay. I really feel like I got through to her, and she was a lot happier by the time we landed.”

The Art Of Letting Go is the band's first new music of 2024, but they quickly confirm that it will not be their last. Their fourth studio album is currently in the works, and Kadillac notes that the chameleonic nature of their new single has directly influenced where they're headed next.

“This next project comes from a very similar place,” says the singer. “It's sonically everywhere – there's rock songs, there's more synth-driven songs, there's some hip-hop songs. It's all kinds of music, and it's all music that I love.”

When queried on how the two handle songwriting, Morris explains that it's his role as Kadillac's writing partner to know where to step in and when to let the singer cook. “Some songs I'm really hands-on with, and I'm helping to write and even producing them myself,” he says. “Other songs get brought in, and you can tell that they're already there.

“In those instances, I'm happy to just put down some drums on it and call it a day. It's all about what works, what's needed and where we're gonna go sonically – but the important thing is that when we're in the studio, we go for it.”

Though neither Kadillac nor Morris have been to Australia, the pair light up when discussing various elements of our country's music scene. Morris, for his part, found an unexpected bond with one of Australia's most legendary music festivals – all through the advent of the internet. “My favourite band of all time is blink-182,” he begins. “I have to explain that before I say the next part: They are not a good live band. 

“They've never been good live... except this performance at the Big Day Out, I found. The energy is everywhere – on and off the stage. There are circle pits and crowd surfing basically non-stop for an hour, even in 35-degree heat. I'd never seen anything like it. I went down the YouTube rabbit hole of all these Big Day Out performances and saw so many of my favourite bands at their best playing for you guys.”

When it comes to Australian music the pair are fans of, each member takes a different stylistic route. “Shoutout to Melbourne bounce!” laughs Kadillac. “Before we started Neon Dreams, we used to DJ, and we went through this EDM phase where we were constantly playing Melbourne bounce joints. Henry Fox, TJR... that was our shit!”

Morris, meanwhile, reserves his shoutout for Adelaide expat Allday. “I know he started out making hip-hop, but the last couple of albums have been a lot more indie,” he says – referring to his 2017 album Starry Night Over The Phone and his 2020 album Drinking With My Smoking Friends.

“All of it's great, and both of us obviously understand that want to continually evolve and change with each new thing that you create. It's something we can really relate to.”

Love Child Baby Dolphin is out now.