Wish Upon A Star

"As you can probably tell by my voice, the weekend went really well. I can hardly speak and I'm aching all over, so sorry if I sound a little strange.” Despite how uncomfortable he feels, the optimism in Gadacz's voice is a sure thing, having just played two shows in Melbourne on the weekend promoting their sophomore full-length release, Loveless. “The shows went really well – I'm extremely excited to be back in Australia, and I was just really glad that so many people who came to the shows already know the words to some of the new songs, so that was just great to see, considering the album came out the day.”

Since the band's inception in 2009, their growth has been remarkable. Within that first year the band had released their debut EP Hope, played to sell-out crowds across the nation and supported luminaries like The Amity Affliction and international acts like Haste The Day. However, despite that immediate success, Gadacz was aware of how much room the band had to grow, and he feels like Loveless is the group's strongest example of just how far the band has come.

“We've definitely grown up as people and musicians generally, and I guess as far as the music goes, we know a lot more about who we are and what we want to create. During '09 we were sort of just doing it, and it was fun, and we knew what we were going for, but we didn't really know if people would like it or anything like that. A few years down the track, and I can honestly say that we haven't been more proud of anything we have created – it's more defined and really, just a lot more of what we want Dream On Dreamer to sound like. I am really hoping those fans who have stuck it out with us since the beginning enjoy this record, because as the world changes every day and that's healthy, that's good. I'm sure some people will be saying 'Oh, Dream On Dreamer was better before', you know, the people who prefer to stick to what they're used to. All I can hope for is that they put in the effort to get to know Loveless. I don't want them to [be] misconceived by the fact that we've gone through some changes and assuming they'll dislike this record as a result when they haven't even listened to it. I personally wouldn't understand why an old fan who enjoyed Heartbound for example wouldn't enjoy Loveless; it would make no sense whatsoever to me. To me, everything has been a step up in creating this new release, it's exactly what Heartbound is, but better.”

Loveless is the first time the band has been able to really focus on writing music with their intense touring schedule. The new release was produced and mixed by guitarist Callan Orr, while Gadacz designed the artwork and imagery for the record. This DIY mentality was crucial, Gadacz explains, to the band's vision. “We wanted to make the album sound as close and personal as we could, and we reckon we did everything we could to make that possible. From recording, to the artwork, to putting the songs together, it was all made entirely by us. I guess the goal was that we would write a better album than anything we've put out in the past, and that those who listen to our music would be able to adapt to the changes we've made of the last couple of years along with us. There's been a lot going on – member changes, and even music changes, so it's brilliant that people are feeling what we felt when we wrote these songs because, as I said, it's the most personal record we've made and I really want people to acknowledge and feel that. That feeling is the most important thing.”

Loveless is Dream On Dreamer's first record as a five-piece, after a line-up shuffle saw them move keyboardist Daniel Jungwirth to bass and include a new clean vocalist, Zachary Britt, into the fold. “Having Zach in the band enabled us to be more creative in a way,” Gadacz explains. “Zach's a really artistic guy and we've never really had that before. We both relate to each other extremely well, too – the way we think about and perceive certain ideas are very similar and for me, that's quite a new thing. I'm not, by any means, trying to bag out the other members – I love them all to death – but it was just such a different experience for me and I needed it. It really inspired me to do more and think about things a little differently. I think having Zach come into the band is what we really needed and his inclusion has been crucial in our development to get to where we are now.”

Relentless touring has become an uncompromising part of the Dream On Dreamer lifestyle, and the entire band have spent most of the last two years playing shows around the world. “Just recently, Russia was one of the craziest experiences we've had on tour. It was a place where we felt like Justin Bieber,” he chuckles. “People would travel something like 14 hours to come and see us and I don't think we'd get that in many other countries. Things like that just really amaze me. I also got to play a show in Berlin, where I'm from, and that was one of my biggest goals ever – to play with my band from another country and playing in my home country was phenomenal. If you'd told me I was going to do that five years ago I would have laughed in your face. So yeah, playing in front of a packed crowd in Berlin, which included members of my family and friends I had in school who I used to ride BMX with and stuff, it was just such a surreal experience – it was one of my favourite shows on our Euro tour. I often find myself shaking my head at just how much we've managed to achieve.”

And where does Dream On Dreamer go from here? Gadacz assures that this is only the beginning. “We're never really happy with where we're at – we can never get enough. I remember having 50 people watching us and just thinking, 'Wow, this is amazing', and if we'd had another 50 in front of us it would've been huge, and I would've felt like I'd achieved everything I'd wanted and I could die happy. Now, it's normal to have 500 people in front of us and it's the same wherever we go in the world, like, it doesn't feel like such a big deal anymore because it's just such a normal part of our lives. I know that sounds really sad, but it's not, I think it's just that we always want what we don't have, and that's a good thing because it makes us even more ambitious and more eager to make ourselves bigger and better.”