Album Review: Stretch – Our Dreams Are Changing

Stretch – Our Dreams Are Changing
(Independent)

Reviewed by Rob Harbers.

After a gestation period of around 3 years, Stretch’s new album ‘Our Dreams are Changing’ will be released to the world on 1st October. This is a necessary comfort in these dark times, as these songs often exhibit a quality almost bordering on prescience, considering how well they address the climate we find ourselves in. A weighted blanket for the soul, one might say.

I was one of a very select few privileged enough to attend a preview listening party hosted by Stretch, and after having already lived with the album for a week or so, this further enhanced my appreciation of its’ achievements.

The album itself was produced in just a fortnight, between lockdowns (remember that time?) in July, with producer Wayne Bell providing splashes of colour to what was otherwise an almost fully-formed set. Stretch writes, sings and plays guitar and drums, with the most dominant supporting player being cellist Paula Sugden. A chance meeting in a Napier bar led to this collaboration, with the cello providing gravitas to the sound, anchoring it and providing depth and substance that complements the lyrics.

As previously mentioned, the inspiration for these songs goes back some time, reflecting a period of turmoil in Stretch’s life, including the deaths of a number of those close to him within a jarringly short sequence. This is often reflected in the searching quality of the lyrics. However, this is not to say that there’s anything maudlin about these pieces – the singer of these songs is telling us that he’s had heavy shit happen, like so many of us, and he’s here beside us in our joint and diverse struggles.

So, down to the songs themselves, many of which are not afraid to finish without a tidy resolution – and if that’s not a metaphor for this thing called life, I don’t know what is. There’s a subtle build in sonic stature and tension across the first half of the album, from the relatively simple opener “Last Call for The Road”, which calls to mind, among others, Live’s “Run Away” in its theme of escape and departure. Next up is “Lonely Star”, the first of these songs to be developed and recorded, and a fine example of the dynamic interplay of the musicians, with the cello making its mark a little more felt, weaving through the instrumentation. Third track “Here Come The Starlings” expands the sonic palette with the introduction of drums to the mix, and would make an excellent choice as a follow-up single to the first to be lifted off the album, next track “I Know You’ve Been Bad”. This amps up the dynamic tension, with its’ stabs of cello and choppy guitar, and by this point there’s an almost tangible feeling of heaviness, reminiscent of a building summer storm, awaiting the release brought by the inevitable rain.

This release comes in the form of “Shoal Bay Song”, a bouncy number that in a just world would be adopted as the anthem of the Kiwi summer. This draws inspiration from the beach location where it was written, where Stretch would spend periods in self-isolation, long before it became de rigueur, and also introduces the sublime backing vocals of cousin Te Puawai Hunia. After the release of the tension, there’s a moving tribute to the departed, in the form of “House Full Of Ghosts”, before the final stretch of the album. Racing towards the finish, “Hold Fast, Hold True” is a beautiful song of encouragement, accompanied again by Te Puawai, and some gentle touches of studio magic. Crossing the line, closing piece “The Turning” brings in novel sonic elements, that make the listener want to hear the extended version on the Deluxe Edition (not that there is such a thing, as yet, but hey, if enough people make a noise about it, who knows?).

All in, then, a hugely accomplished suite, belying its shoestring budget. Music both for these dark times, and also a little outside of time, hinting at, reaching for, or even tapping into, the Big Music of which The Waterboys sang some years back. Like so much of the best music, not all of its charms are immediately apparent, rewarding repeat listening.

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