In a Dream is the fifth EP by Australian singer Troye Sivan, released on 21 August 2020 through EMI Music Australia and Capitol Records. It follows the release of his second studio album Bloom (2018), and features the singles "Take Yourself Home", "Easy", and "Rager Teenager!".
Sivan described the "concept EP" as "a story that's still unfolding, this small collection of songs explores an emotional rollercoaster period in my life when the feelings and thoughts were most shockingly fresh. Revisiting these songs and moments is tough, but I'm proud of this music and excited to have it out in the world."
Initially scheduled for a late 2020 arrival, In a Dream was released early, after the COVID-19 pandemic caused Sivan to change his perspective about the music. The EP, which features a dance-pop sound, was positively received by critics, who complimented Sivan's lyrics and sonic experimentation.
The EP was nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Pop Release.
Background
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, Sivan travelled from his Los Angeles home to spend time with his family in Melbourne, only to find himself subject to the city's lockdown; Sivan commented:
Development
In Sivan's cover story with NME, many details about In a Dream were revealed. The EP was partially inspired by his life circumstances of 2020, with Sivan explaining that he was enjoying "getting in touch with that kind of boredom again" and "doing shit that I would never ever do normally": "It hasn't come to me super naturally, because such a big part of my process is collaborating with other people. I don't play an instrument, so though I might write lyrics and melody by myself, I need someone on chords, whether it's on piano or guitar."
Sivan also felt it was "too early to be working on my [next studio] album. I was still on tour for Bloom for some of this, and as it was coming to an end, I was feeling all of this stuff." He would write one song one day, and a "completely different-sounding song" the next day as ideas came to him. "Before I knew it, I was like, 'Whoa – I have this body of this work, this EP, whatever'. I didn't know what it was. All I know is that this really sums up these last couple of weeks or months in my life. [...] It wasn't about trying to make a cohesive pop album or EP. It was, 'How can we tell these stories in the most accurate and emotive way?'"
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Sivan said he also wrote many of the songs amidst the end of his relationship with model Jacob Bixenman, commenting "I didn't think I was writing an entire project, I was just taking it day by day and then I turned around and had this potent, concise, weird project that is a time capsule for some of the most intense weeks of my life." He said that he was inspired by Bruce Springsteen and Amy Winehouse for the EP.
Concept
The closing title track was inspired by a dream (about Sivan's lost love) so intense, Sivan woke up crying.
In an interview with Don't Bore Us, Sivan elaborated on the loose concept of In a Dream:
"I [didn't] really know what I would call [In a Dream] because the truth is I didn't really start this project thinking I was making anything in particular. I normally go into the album writing process with a sonic mood board with a playlist of sounds that inspire me or artists that inspire me. I have a really good sense of what I'm trying to achieve. And then with this it was different in that I was just sort of going through this rollercoaster in my mind and I was really just going to the studio just because I was feeling a different way every hour let alone every day. I think that's why it's turned out to be such a weird project in that it doesn't really have one sound. I'm exploring the same kind of story from different angles and I think the thing that ties it all together is that it's this very potent and concise collection of songs that were all written in short succession. I guess that's sort of the concept! It was sort of unintentional but it's really about an intense time of my life in this time capsule."
Composition
In a Dream was described as a dance-pop break-up record that features "a hallucinogenic sound" and captures "tempestuous and extreme moods".
Pitchforks Shaad D'Souza described the EP as "a formally adventurous break-up record that explores the far corners of indie pop" that "chooses distinctiveness over approachability, offering a bricolage of warped indie rock, tech-house, and theatre-kid emotion".