REVIEW: Blush Puppy - Here You Dream
- Julia Stark
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
For a band that hasn’t yet released an EP, BLUSH PUPPY are the band on everyone’s radar, already hitting the “Ones to Watch” and “Emerging Artists” lists from multiple music outlets after their successful support slots with BAD NERVES and POOL KIDS. It’s not hard to see why they’re already on everyone’s watch list with the arrival of their debut EP Here You Dream, a cinematic blend of emo/alt/grunge rock, set to release on 10th April via Venn Records. This is their initiation to the world and it’s absolutely stunning.
Here You Dream started its humble journey in a garden shed, before progressing to the Midlands four-piece working with Grammy winning producer Adrian Bushby, to produce a visionary sound that will captivate a huge audience, from the playlist listeners to the gig-goers looking for their next energetic band fix.
A quickfire, distorted riff leads us into Here You Dream’s opener Polish the Chrome before vocalist Luke Osmond leads the teeth-shaking fusion of instruments and backing vocals, the verses brief but the choruses hard-hitting with lyrics of “I’ll never let you in unless I know you could be trusted”, accompanied by swelling vocals. Bassist and vocalist Isabelle Smith makes her presence known throughout with a steely sound and a menacing riff between the chorus and breakdowns, with drummer Harry Rogers thrashing at his kit in a synchronised frenzy. Osmond descends into a powerful scream that fades into a dangerously soft breakdown before BLUSH PUPPY crash back in as a high-energy unit.
Tears In Rain starts on a slower but no less impactful pace, guitarist Ciaran O’Sullivan’s dual clean and distorted riffs echoing hauntingly in the background, throwing in prolonged notes that add to the cinematic feel of the track. Osmond, Smith and O’Sullivan sing in an emotionally charged harmonisation, while Rogers progresses from an understated drumbeat to pulsing beats in tandem with the guitar solos and rising synth. Tears In Rain feels like the song for a protagonist standing in a downpour while they contemplate life, a la Bladerunner.
Their first hotly anticipated single and video from Here You Dream takes on a fluid form in Under The Water, weaving floating vocals across the trio with Osmond’s agonised cries of “(under the water) you said that you could breathe”. Reverbed guitar and bass echo behind the commanding drum beat, while a clean riff balances alongside the vocals, plinky keyboard notes making an uplifting appearance. The vocals drop down to a low spoken word before reascending to a raw scream.
Stay Awake is where the genre blending really stands out, giving DON BROCO mixed with THORNHILL vibes. With a brutal beat and bass line, the track begins in a near-stripped back form before the guitars drop into a foreboding pitch. Keys and sound effects are peppered in to make the track all the more compelling, before BLUSH PUPPY together pivots into a massively enjoyable, rapid-paced, screaming breakdown that’s guaranteed to generate pits when played live.
Closing out their electric debut EP, Still Asleep falls in with dreamy, harmonised vocals from the trio, with simple guitar chords from Osmond and O’Sullivan, before Rogers snaps in with the drums and Smith delivers a low bass riff, both carrying us through the progression of this emotive track. BLUSH PUPPY drift between enchanting, disarmingly calm pitches and tempos, to abrupt screams and heavy instruments – it feels like when you’re trying to fall asleep and jolt yourself awake with adrenaline.
If this is where BLUSH PUPPY are starting out from, then their dreams of drawing in more fans and filling arenas won’t be far away.
Score: 8/10
Here You Dream will be released on 10th April 2026 via Venn Records.
Words: Julia Stark
Photos: Blush Puppy
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