David A Burgess is the mastermind behind Chronic Dream, an electronic instrumental music project with the moody dark vibe meant for daydreams. Burgess’s background as a film composer and LA goth band Scarlet lends itself well to the cinematic oeuvre of Chronic Dream’s music. We hear elements of Gary Numan, The Cure, Massive Attack, New Order, Bauhaus, John Carpenter, and Gorillaz in their music.
All instrumentals, this is the hybrid of Stranger Things-era nostalgia with psychedelia and sinister TV soundtracks of 70s detective shows. The closer, “The Looming Dawn”, has the trippy elements of Delia Derbyshire’s BBC Radiophonic Workshop output mixed with chillwave and early electronica pioneers.
Listen below and order here.
Burgess explains the history of his alter ego: “Scarlet had one album, played at the Troubadour, Roxy, and Whisky A-Go Go, as well as opening for Rozz Williams at the Variety Arts Center in LA. After Scarlet, our guitarist and my friend Kenton Holmes went on to play guitar on tour with 45 Grave and I went on to compose music for film students at Chapman University.”
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Album artwork by Edward Colver