After 29 years, the Dream Syndicate rises like a phoenix from the ashes of its lengthy hiatus with their fifth album, How Did I Find Myself Here?. Though the gap in between albums spans several decades that gave way to a rise in all kinds of popular music, the Dream Syndicate stays true to their firmly planted Paisley Underground roots. The album is a rock roller coaster, with almost every song drastically altering the album’s overall pace. It’s a dizzying listening experience, especially with the track “How Did I Find Myself Here.” Landing at a whopping 11 minutes, frontman Steve Wynn offers a track full of beautifully nostalgic lyrics. The melody drags, but intentionally and rightfully so. As Wynn contemplates the past, the audience is compelled to agonize with him as he sings lines like, “An impossible tide / So I stepped right inside / How did I find myself here?” The album concludes with “Kendra’s Dream,” a song that quite literally feels dreamy as former member Kendra Smith lulls listeners into a hazy state. The song’s optimism towards the future is a perfect note to end the album on, as it starts to pull the band away from its past and into what seems like a new musical direction. For old fans and new, How Did I Find Myself Here? promises them all a trip through time and back that they surely won’t be able to forget.
-Claire Torak