Mark Perro and Nick Chiericozzi, co-founders of Brooklyn punk come country rock band The Men, began Dream Police as a vehicle to write and record the psych and krauty material that didn't quite fit with their main project. They self-released a couple of Dream Police tapes and played a handful of live shows but always under the shadow of the Men.In the summer of 2013, The Men returned home after five months of touring. For Perro and Chiericozzi, the desire to create was still strong, so they went back to what they did when they started the band —jammed. Enlisting the help of collaborator Kyle Keays- Hagerman, for the next six months they worked and strung together an eight song LP. The result is Hypnotised an album that has been described as "a cloud of future primitive psychedelia”. It also contains guitar shredding, quiet acoustic duets and anxious drum machine loops.Before the album's upcoming release on Sacred Bones we had a chat to Nick Chiericozzi.Noisey: Dream Police started as a way for you to release stuff that didn’t fit with the Men. Did it ever feel like a side project?
Nick Chiericozzi: Dream Police began with two songs. It was only after we recorded them on four-track that we gave the project a name and put those songs out for release on tape. It became, unconsciously I think, an outlet for our two-pronged style of songwriting that began The Men. It lived concurrently alongside, but it operated very much in the shadow of the main focus. So in that sense it was an exercise, not a band. Fast-forward and The Men have five albums, two EP's, etc. in five years. Mark and I came together again as a duo and began laying the groundwork for songs without the intention of an album or a band. Once we had six songs, we pulled out the four track and made a demo tape for ourselves utilizing actual drums, Mark's Roland 707 drum machine, guitars and vocals. Listening to those songs made us realise we might have something worth recording in a studio.You are called Dream Police and your sound nods to the late 70s but not to the power pop of Cheap Trick. Was there any conscious musical approach?
I like how you found a Fast Times At Ridgemont High clip that someone bootlegged with a shaky handheld camera! After our first tape we played a few shows with harmonium, banjo, synthesizer, feedback, vocal chanting and clarinet. Improvisation and severe repetition were our tools in the early stages. Our songs were over 10 minutes and changed very little. We recorded one of these performances and released it on a tape called Dream Police, Live. Last summer, I took the ideas of repetition and wrote the guitar riff for "John", but instead of it repeating for 10 minutes, it went on for five. We went pop, OK? So brevity became a principle utensil for songwriting and sound development. Secondly, The Men had five members on our last LP and I wanted to hear space in the tracks and started trimming the fat with less instrumentation and playing only when I had something to say.The vocals on “Hypnotized” in particular have a real Alan Vega feel. The start sounds like “Ghost Rider”. Obviously Suicide have been an influence.
That's Mark's voice on the lead and me on the "Crimson & Clover" style backups. I listened to Suicide a bunch this winter when making the record. I got a new car with a CD player and I had a long drive to and from the studio in Brooklyn, so I'd listen to Suicide and a few others in the rotation. This winter was particularly brutal, so while highway driving and listening to the paranoia in that record while the snow was flying at night further freaked me out into over self-analysis and kicked up my desires to imitate.Parts of the album sound like Richard Hell fronting Spaceman 3. I don’t know if Spaceman 3 get enough credit for their influence on contemporary punk and hardcore.
I know they took a classic British press lambasting during their day, but influenced a lot of kids. When bands take some chances with lyrics and combinations of styles, they might be too far out for their day. They have similarities to The Cramps method of taking older songs and copping lyrics and melodies, but making new songs out of them. Folk music does the same thing.With the tolling church bells and more acoustic lament I take it the last track is in relation to Hurricane Sandy.
“Sandy” isn't about the hurricane per se, though I think that's an interesting way to look at it. I recorded the bells outside St. Kilian's Church. The song originally had drums and electric guitar, but I went over to Holly Overton's house and we made an acoustic demo that had something haunting in it. Her voice is great. Before this I'd never tried to write a duet and I learned a few things about writing vocals for other people. If I had to do it over I'd change the words to fit the voice that has to sing them. The first verse is slightly confusing to me and she seems slightly puzzled too. I think in a woman/man duet the woman's voice should stand out and be the primary focus and she made that happen.
Catch Dream Police performing in New York City at the David Lynch Foundation Benefit September 25 at Saint Vitus and the Sacred Bones CMJ party October 24 at Trans Pecos.DREAM POLICE on TOUR
9-25 Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus Bar (w/ Earth, Cult of Youth)
10-24 Ridgewood, NY - Trans Pecos (w/ Moon Duo, Amen Dunes, Marissa Nadler)
11-8 Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus Bar (Hypnotized Record Release Show)
11-11 Philadelphia, PA – Black Box in Underground !
11-12 Washington, DC – Black Cat !
11-13 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups !
11-14 St. Louis, MO – The Demo !
11-15 Iowa, City, IA – The Mill !
11-16 Indianapolis, IN – White Rabbit !
11-17 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle !
11-19 Toronto, ON – Smiling Buddha !
11-20 Montreal, QB – Casa del Popolo !
11-21 Boston, MA – Church of Boston !
12-03 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
12-05 Los Angeles, CA – Jewels Catch One
12-06 San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall
12-07 Oakland, CA – Leo’s
12-08 Sacramento, CA – Witch Room
12-10 Portland, OR - Holocene
12-11 Vancouver, BC – The Fox Cabaret
12-12 Seattle, WA – Blue Moon! w/ Honey
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Nick Chiericozzi: Dream Police began with two songs. It was only after we recorded them on four-track that we gave the project a name and put those songs out for release on tape. It became, unconsciously I think, an outlet for our two-pronged style of songwriting that began The Men. It lived concurrently alongside, but it operated very much in the shadow of the main focus. So in that sense it was an exercise, not a band. Fast-forward and The Men have five albums, two EP's, etc. in five years. Mark and I came together again as a duo and began laying the groundwork for songs without the intention of an album or a band. Once we had six songs, we pulled out the four track and made a demo tape for ourselves utilizing actual drums, Mark's Roland 707 drum machine, guitars and vocals. Listening to those songs made us realise we might have something worth recording in a studio.You are called Dream Police and your sound nods to the late 70s but not to the power pop of Cheap Trick. Was there any conscious musical approach?
I like how you found a Fast Times At Ridgemont High clip that someone bootlegged with a shaky handheld camera! After our first tape we played a few shows with harmonium, banjo, synthesizer, feedback, vocal chanting and clarinet. Improvisation and severe repetition were our tools in the early stages. Our songs were over 10 minutes and changed very little. We recorded one of these performances and released it on a tape called Dream Police, Live. Last summer, I took the ideas of repetition and wrote the guitar riff for "John", but instead of it repeating for 10 minutes, it went on for five. We went pop, OK? So brevity became a principle utensil for songwriting and sound development. Secondly, The Men had five members on our last LP and I wanted to hear space in the tracks and started trimming the fat with less instrumentation and playing only when I had something to say.
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That's Mark's voice on the lead and me on the "Crimson & Clover" style backups. I listened to Suicide a bunch this winter when making the record. I got a new car with a CD player and I had a long drive to and from the studio in Brooklyn, so I'd listen to Suicide and a few others in the rotation. This winter was particularly brutal, so while highway driving and listening to the paranoia in that record while the snow was flying at night further freaked me out into over self-analysis and kicked up my desires to imitate.Parts of the album sound like Richard Hell fronting Spaceman 3. I don’t know if Spaceman 3 get enough credit for their influence on contemporary punk and hardcore.
I know they took a classic British press lambasting during their day, but influenced a lot of kids. When bands take some chances with lyrics and combinations of styles, they might be too far out for their day. They have similarities to The Cramps method of taking older songs and copping lyrics and melodies, but making new songs out of them. Folk music does the same thing.With the tolling church bells and more acoustic lament I take it the last track is in relation to Hurricane Sandy.
“Sandy” isn't about the hurricane per se, though I think that's an interesting way to look at it. I recorded the bells outside St. Kilian's Church. The song originally had drums and electric guitar, but I went over to Holly Overton's house and we made an acoustic demo that had something haunting in it. Her voice is great. Before this I'd never tried to write a duet and I learned a few things about writing vocals for other people. If I had to do it over I'd change the words to fit the voice that has to sing them. The first verse is slightly confusing to me and she seems slightly puzzled too. I think in a woman/man duet the woman's voice should stand out and be the primary focus and she made that happen.
"Hypnotized" is out November 11 on Sacred Bones.
Catch Dream Police performing in New York City at the David Lynch Foundation Benefit September 25 at Saint Vitus and the Sacred Bones CMJ party October 24 at Trans Pecos.DREAM POLICE on TOUR
9-25 Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus Bar (w/ Earth, Cult of Youth)
10-24 Ridgewood, NY - Trans Pecos (w/ Moon Duo, Amen Dunes, Marissa Nadler)
11-8 Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus Bar (Hypnotized Record Release Show)
11-11 Philadelphia, PA – Black Box in Underground !
11-12 Washington, DC – Black Cat !
11-13 Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups !
11-14 St. Louis, MO – The Demo !
11-15 Iowa, City, IA – The Mill !
11-16 Indianapolis, IN – White Rabbit !
11-17 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle !
11-19 Toronto, ON – Smiling Buddha !
11-20 Montreal, QB – Casa del Popolo !
11-21 Boston, MA – Church of Boston !
12-03 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
12-05 Los Angeles, CA – Jewels Catch One
12-06 San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall
12-07 Oakland, CA – Leo’s
12-08 Sacramento, CA – Witch Room
12-10 Portland, OR - Holocene
12-11 Vancouver, BC – The Fox Cabaret
12-12 Seattle, WA – Blue Moon! w/ Honey