Calmness in the middle of a shitstorm.
A conversation with Vince Giarrusso on Dream It Down, atmosphere, instinct and making a record that refused to fit the moment.
Some records arrive out of perfect conditions. Others are pulled together in the middle of collapse.
For Underground Lovers, Dream It Down came from the second place. The band had returned from touring the USA and the UK in a state of fracture. Members had left. Early recordings were abandoned. The safer path would have been to document the live band as it stood. Instead, they scrapped the sessions and rebuilt the record as something more atmospheric, more intimate and more deliberate.
At a time when grunge was dominating the cultural weather, Dream It Down moved differently. Softer, stranger and more internal, it leaned into studio construction, subversive pop, dub, dance music and atmosphere. It was out of step with the moment, but that is exactly why it still holds.
We asked Vince Giarrusso about the making of the record, the music around it and why Dream It Down still feels untethered from the era that produced it.
Dream It Down holds a consistent mood from start to finish. Was that something you were conscious of while making it, or did it reveal itself as the record came together?
Making Dream It Down was an incredibly stressful period. The band was in a kind of breakdown after touring the USA and the UK, and members left during that time. We had already begun initial recordings for the album, but I was deeply unhappy with them. In the end, we scrapped everything and made the decision to create a proper studio album rather than something that simply captured the “live” band.
We wanted to build sound and atmosphere in the studio. Something that reflected where we were emotionally and artistically. Grunge dominated the scene at the time, but we were drawn to something softer and more intimate: transcendental pop structures, subversive lyrics, and elements of dance and dub. That combination was our signature, even if it seemed out of step with the moment.
The record company thought we were completely bonkers, but we knew this was the only way to make the album we needed to make.
Were there particular records or artists in rotation around the time of Dream It Down?
Astral Weeks, Say Anything, Loveless, Screamadelica, Tago Mago, Neu!, Black Box, Ride. Too many to mention.
If you had to distil Dream It Down to one idea or feeling, what would it be?
Calmness in the middle of a shitstorm.
Does the record still feel tied to a particular time or place when you hear it now, or has that sense shifted over time?
To us, the album feels timeless. We remain proud of what we created during that turbulent period. Even at the time, it stood out as something of an anomaly within the Australian music landscape. It didn’t fit neatly into the dominant genres or expectations of the era, and that was precisely what made it so distinct.
Looking back, its refusal to conform, its blend of softness and experimentation, and its commitment to atmosphere over trend all contributed to a work that continues to resonate far beyond that moment in time. What felt risky then now feels like the very thing that gave the album its enduring character.
You’re currently performing a live score to Man With a Movie Camera. Does working to moving image change how you think about pacing or atmosphere in music?
Yes, it does. It’s instinctive yet random and creates meaning in a meaningless world.
We are expanding that project with some exciting news on the horizon.