Ones2Watch Home

Photo by Jacob Cummings

Take a trip down memory lane with The Undercover Dream Lovers’ new album, atomic house. From wishes to return to the simple joys and challenges of being a kid, to teenage complaints about parents and girls not treating you right, the album takes listeners right back to the pleasure and pain of youth. 

atomic house is full of nostalgia, kicking off with lead track “one more evening.” The song sees group leader Matt Koenig wish to go back for “one more evening in the neighborhood,” where “seasons never change // and it always stays the same.”

Koenig also takes time to indulge in some teen angst over failed romances. On “molly,” he can’t seem to untangle himself from the titular girl, who is “pretty and mean // but she knows what the boys like.” Elsewhere, on “prom queen,” he taunts, “Don’t you know you’re pushing your luck?” before declaring, “I don’t need a prom queen.”

And it wouldn’t be a rock album without some raging against the machine — “cookin in the sun” is all about blowing off responsibilities to enjoy yourself and stay “addicted to the summer,” while “lies lies lies” thumbs its nose at the American Dream. 

“I just did what I was told and now I’m stuck and broke on the clock,” Koenig sings over a thrumming bass line, accusing the world of trying to sell him on a dream that ended up being “lies, lies, lies.”

That nostalgic element runs through the instrumentation as well. Each song feels like a time capsule, with production that calls to mind the rock bands of the late 90s and early 00s — and wouldn’t sound out of place blaring out of your neighbor’s garage. 

The tracks also feature sound effects that fully immerse the listener in the past, from the sound of a landline phone being dialed, to old-school video game sounds, to a school bell ringing. Koenig skillfully creates a layered soundscape that makes you feel like you’re in the movie of his adolescent life. 

“Whether it’s dial up phones or the feeling of pushing a doorbell when you’re running around the neighborhood and playing ding-dong ditch, there are so many tactile things that just get us excited,” Koenig explained in a press release. “That was my anchor for this whole record, remembering those feelings and stepping back into my own experience or into the shoes of a character who may have had these experiences.” 

He continued, “I wanted this album to capture what it was like growing up in the ‘90s, this gap in time between two more defined eras. But it comes to life in a way that feels very modern, where any listener can live in it and make the emotions of those experiences their own.”

While the songs of atomic house bring to mind the ups and downs of youth, the album also encourages introspection, whether it’s about the way you’ve handled romantic relationships, or what you truly want out of life. It’s an exciting project from The Undercover Dream Lovers, and one that will make listeners nostalgic for the past — and excited for the future. 

Listen to atomic house below: