Floaty and aesthetically unheard, Dreams is a well-titled, effervescent love song from the experimental mind of Chicago’s Phoelix. It’s an electronica sample nuanced R&B jam for the new era of romantic ballads that gives us further faith in the quickly exploding collective of creative risk takers calling home to the Midwest. But, it’s also simply a smooth, laid-back and incredulously cool single perfect for highlighting an introspective night in with the vice of your choosing. 

 

Nearly a year removed from the release of his acclaimed 2018 experimental masterpiece, TEMPO which featured a high-profile swatch of local talent (Smino, Elton Aura, Jean Deaux, Dax, & Nemo), the Chicago transcendentalist seems to be moving towards something even newer and more daring with Dreams. Whatever it may bring, the bold direction is something we’ve come to admire about Chicago as a whole, and Phoelix is certainly a central figure to it all. 

 

Dreams captures its name’s mystery without sacrificing creative clarity, and for that, Phoelix is a must-watch in 2019, especially as he heads on tour with EARTHGANG and Smino.