She’s In Parties - Are You Dreaming?

With ‘Are You Dreaming?’, Essex-London quartet She’s In Parties deliver a lucid dream of an EP that lingers in the liminal, hazy space between reality and reverie. Building on the promise of 2023’s ‘End Scene’ and 2024’s ‘Puppet Show’, it sees the band mix shoegaze melancholy, dream-pop shimmer and introspective indie grit with effortless style. Opener ‘Fallen’ sets the scene with widescreen ambition, driven by urgent, theatrical keys that slowly fade to reveal shimmering guitars and soft-focus vocals. It’s a marked step away from the shoegaze textures of their earlier work, nudging the band further into dream-pop territory. 

By contrast, ‘Same Old Story’ clings closest to their original sound, making it the perfect lead single and a gentle nod to their roots. Elsewhere, ‘Runaway’ glows with soaring melodies that bring early Wolf Alice or Pale Waves to mind, while closing track ‘R.E.M.’ folds the collection back in on itself, dissolving into something softer and almost weightless. The five songs are drenched in nostalgia but never derivative, shimmering with sincerity and cinematic scope.