Single Review: I Dreamt About You

Lizzy Kula shares a hypnotic new pop song that welcomes us to dance and possibly cry. Entitled I Dreamt About You, it’s a fresh debut for her but you couldn’t tell because she has utilised the structure of a good classic pop song. She has gathered the talents of Chris Chetland (Dua Lipa, Lorde, Bebe Rexha) to do the masters, Alex Twidle (Missy, Becca Caffyn, Dead Favours) for mixing and her own brother, Daniel Kulasingham (Sorry Sorry) to help produce the song. Lizzy has Sri Lankan/Chinese Malaysian heritage and grew up in New Zealand and is now based in Mount Maunganui.

What stands out immediately from the very beginning is the drums that generate a funky rhythm. The drums become the driving force and power of the rhythm while a supporting baseline gives it that funk style. Lizzy’s bright vocals are effortlessly unified with this rhythm and you can hear a background layer of vocals that has a soft and breathy tone that is gentle like the trance of a dream.

I do wonder what effect it would have on the song if there was a gradual build-up to the beat rather than jumping right in. Perhaps if the beat was introduced later there could be further opportunities to add additional complexity to the song.

The lyrics paint a cloudy portrait of what it’s like to be in a push-and-pull relationship which is a great poignant subject for a song. Lizzy has expressed that her music is driven by storytelling, emotions and reflects how we process these elements in life. I enjoy the genuineness of this song and Lizzy explains where the song comes from “I was overthinking to the point where just the thought of them made me exhausted. Writing I Dreamt About You was a way for me to step out of that cycle long enough to realise that it was time for me to choose myself.”

It’s clear she exhibits a similar expression of music as her inspirations including Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers and Stevie Wonder. Lizzy has also said that music has been a constant in her life so we can expect some more from her and her noticeably striking talent.