Track By Track Through Those Who Dream's 'Therapy Machine' EP

Perth (Boorloo) based duo Those Who Dream have today unveiled their long-awaited EP, Therapy Machine.

The second extended length release from siblings Josh and Hazel Meyer, Therapy Machine is described as their “most fully realised project yet.”

“We worked on these songs for about a year,” Josh says of the process. “We ended up taking a few months to step back and get a fresh perspective on the songs.”

“When we came back to the project after some space, we wrote the opening track Enigma, and reapproached the production of every song with new ideas.”

This deliberation proved fruitful, culminating in an EP that showcases the duo’s expertise in experimenting with genre combinations.

Those Who Dream are recognised for their DIY approach to their work, which grants them flexibility to explore fresh sounds and techniques. Josh took the lead in producing and mixing the EP in-house, collaborating with Ted Jensen (whose previous work includes Norah Jones, Green Day, and Post Malone) for mastering.

Reflecting on creating the EP, Josh says they had a lightbulb moment, “we finally cracked what makes Those Who Dream, well, Those Who Dream.”

Ahead of the duo’s headline EP tour this weekend, Josh shared a track breakdown of the EP below;

Track 1 - Enigma

I wrote this one about how sometimes staying in a bubble of ignorance against the chaos and suffering happening all around the world every day can feel like a desperate necessity to get through the day… Hazel and I started the melodies and rhythms together on acoustic guitar, then all the lyrical ideas came to me at once the next day on an early beach walk.

Track 2 - Mannequin

This song is about standing up for yourself in the face of alienation, when all you hear is ‘you can’t do this’, or ‘you’ll never be good enough to do that’. It’s an unyielding rejection of that – like looking that person dead in the eyes and saying ‘watch me’. 

Track 3 - Face The Truth

This song is about someone I shared many years of my life with, somebody I never thought I’d have to say goodbye to and how we held onto each other until the very last minute… Knowing sometimes the most painful changes in life are the most fundamental. We kept pulling back on the production to really focus on serving the vocals in this one.

Track 4 - Therapy Machine

Therapy Machine is one I started a long time ago. When I started struggling with my mental health again, I remember isolating myself and not opening up to anybody about what I was dealing with…

We tend to believe that we know ourselves better than anybody else and realising you can’t always trust your own judgment in those situations is a tricky pill to swallow… But this song is a reminder that a friend's shoulder to lean on might be the missing puzzle piece in your journey to recovery.

Track 5 - IT SURROUNDS

I started writing this song sitting with Hazel at the gate at Sydney airport, waiting for our delayed flight home after a hectic festival tour, and as I watched through the window at all of our gear getting absolutely soaked, sitting on the runway because a storm was coming through, I just started thinking of the place musicians, and creatives/artists in general, occupy in the world.

Music is so important to the human experience yet non-arena level artists are underfunded and under-appreciated, which can take a huge toll on our wellbeing. If things don’t change, the world may end up with far fewer musicians and creatives, hence the lyric “We won’t be heard underground”.

Those Who Dream’s latest EP ‘Therapy Machine’, is out now. Their EP tour kicks off tonight (18 October), tickets on sale here. Full tour dates are as follows;

Friday 18 October - Cherry Bar, Melbourne (Naarm)

Saturday 19 October - Bootleggers, Sydney (Warrane)

Sunday 20 October - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane (Meanjin)