Chicago psych-pop outfit Daydream Review have specialized, so far, in crafting mellow, mirage-like songs with names like “Sensory Deprivation” and “Dream Sequence #29.” Now the band is teasing their debut LP Leisure with lead single “Have You Found What You’re Looking For?” which finds frontman Elijah Montez searching for direction in his own hazy sonic world: “Does it seem far / Away from you? / Or is it getting near?” he sings in the track. “Does it seem clear / What you want? / Or what you need?”
For Montez, these questions pertain both to his life and to his art. “The lyrics are twofold in my opinion,” he shares. “The more literal take on [the title] was a [direct] question to myself while I was writing it, because I had written roughly the first half of the song and was unsure of where to take it, and I remember trying different things, and talking to myself saying ‘Have you figured it out? Have you found it?’
“But the overarching theme of the song fits quite well in the context of the album,” he continues. “[It’s about] being dissatisfied with work, dissatisfied with the state of the world, and dissatisfied with capitalism at large, and searching for something that can fill in the void that all that dissatisfaction leaves. I think that’s reflected in the sonic quality of the song, this repetition and cycling through your thoughts and having that ‘a-ha’ moment, where you realize you’re looking for something that may not come.”
For a song that loosely revolves around capitalism-induced dread, the final cut is pretty groovy. You can stream the single below, and pre-order Leisure—out April 7 via Side Hustle Records—here.
