London indie pop four-piece daydreamers are on the brink of announcing their biggest project to date. The band returns today with an emotionally charged anthem ‘Start Living’, the latest offering from their ever-expanding world of “sad euphoria” via Robots + Humans / Epic Records.
If previous releases introduced daydreamers as one of UK indie’s most emotionally articulate new outfits, ‘Start Living’ feels like the moment everything clicks into sharper focus. Already a live fan favourite, the track is built on sunlit guitars, soaring melodies and quiet emotional chaos. It captures the strange duality of modern existence: feeling overwhelmed by life while desperately wanting to embrace it. Equal parts catharsis and release, it feels like driving with the windows down, trying to outrun the noise in your own mind.
Written from a place of frustration and emotional exhaustion, ‘Start Living’ emerges as frontman Riley’s response to the impossible and exhausting pressure of constant self-improvement, optimisation, productivity, and performative happiness. Riley reveals, “I constantly feel so much pressure to go out and do things, be happy, be successful, earn money, travel, be an interesting person. It feels like it’s very ‘in’ at the moment for strangers online to tell you that waking up at 5 am will help you to be more fulfilled, or that you should eat certain foods, or always think positively.”
He continues, “I wrote ‘Start Living’ because I was so fed up with it all and just getting bored of trying to fix myself all the time, so Start Living became a message to myself to leave what isn’t useful to me behind, and just enjoy life whilst it’s happening.”
Alongside the release of ‘Start Living’, daydreamers continue to quietly unravel clues surrounding the band’s long-awaited debut album. Over recent weeks, cryptic references to HYTS? have surfaced across the band’s socials, sending fans into speculation mode. But what could this mean? Only time will tell.
During a difficult period marked by uncertainty around work, music, and relationships, Riley found inspiration for their previous single ‘I Expect Better’, describing the time as one where “everything was falling apart.” The track emerged naturally from that experience, with most of the original demo making it into the final version. Recent singles ‘She Is A Time I’m Living In’ and ‘Good Intentions’ continue daydreamers’ focus on emotionally direct songwriting, with ‘She Is A Time I’m Living In’ positioned as a self-aware, deeply romantic alt-love song for hopeless romantics.
In 2024, daydreamers released their self-titled debut EP, an eight-track project that quickly established them as one of the UK’s most exciting emerging acts. Their debut single ‘Call Me Up’ sparked viral success on TikTok, generating 20,000 creations, 80 millionviews, and 16 million Spotify streams, helping build a devoted fanbase both online and at live shows. With over 130K social followers, the band has gained momentum through euphoric performances that successfully translate their online popularity into real-world connections.
The band has further cemented their reputation through appearances at major festivals including Reading & Leeds, Latitude, TRNSMT, and The Great Escape, alongside a sold-out debut headline tour and support slots for Kings of Leon and Sea Girls. They will play their next headline show at London’s 100 Club on July 16th as part of the Big Dork Summer series – tickets here.