A Dirty Dozen with DREAMWAKE – July 2025

According to a recent press release: “Connecticut’s DREAMWAKE — Bobby Nabors (vocals); Dave Pazik (guitar); Kevin Jacques (bass); and Andrew Popolizio (drums) — recently announced their new album The Lost Years. It arrives on August 8 via UNFD. Emerging from the bustling scene in New Haven, Connecticut, Dreamwake are a four-piece band that seamlessly blurs the lines of multiple genres, deftly crafting a sound that’s both nostalgic and fresh. Combining emotionally charged melodies, heavy riffs, and saxophone, Dreamwake offer a unique sonic landscape and they bridge the gap between powerful metal breakdowns and captivating melodies. Joining the UNFD roster in 2024, the band continues to deliver an unforgettable mix of energy, depth, and innovation that will leave a lasting impact on fans.” We get the band to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Bobby: The Lost Years is about a transition period of life where you begin to let go of and grieve a life that was once familiar that’s no longer yours, while also looking ahead to the future and trying to remain optimistic about what’s to come. The album talks a lot about the struggles within that transition period. There are a couple of hidden gems on the album – mostly some repeat melodies that occur in a few different songs to capture some familiarity in the melody.

2. What got you into music and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Bobby: We all have pretty similar upbringings in the mid-2000’s metalcore / rock world. We all grew up watching bands like Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine do their thing, and it sparked a dream within all of us to become musicians!

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Bobby: I’d have to say the record Meteora by Linkin Park. The combination of ethereal ambiance, heavy riffs, and emotional lyrics really captured me and set the precedent of what I looked for in music going forward.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Dave: The Midnight, bar none. It’s no secret that we draw a huge amount of inspiration from them, and it would be a privilege to be able to work alongside them and create something special.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour? What do you like to do to unwind?

Kevin: One of our favorite things whether we’re on or off tour is long boarding! We all love to hop on our boards and feel the wind in our faces. Also, we collectively love a good outing for some tacos and margs.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Dave: Melodic Metalcore with saxophone is what we always say. Heavy riffs with a vibe. With all due respect, the one comparison we always got was Shrezzers due to the fact that we both have saxophonists, but other than some of the basic fundamentals of metalcore we don’t agree that we sound as similar as a lot of people said at the time.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Andrew: I am our personal chef and Dave stocks the fridge while Bobby and Kevin break out the jams and the vibes.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Kevin: Honestly, the last time I was starstruck was actually pretty recent. I was working as a background actor for Happy Gilmore 2, and seeing Adam Sandler on set for the first time was wild. I grew up on his movies, so seeing him in person just made my inner child freak out. It was one of those full circle moments!

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Dave: The best part about being a musician is being able to express ourselves fully and being able to connect with other people due to that. There’s nothing better than performing our craft that we love and sharing that experience with others.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Dave: What do people often misunderstand about being in a band? The amount of work, perseverance and determination it takes to build oneself over the course of many years. It’s not an easy road, and there’s plenty of things you wouldn’t even imagine that go into being in a band. It’s not for the faint of heart, but that’s why I love it.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Dave: No, every step in this band has felt like it’s meant to happen for the greater good. We strongly feel that everything happens for a reason and it’s all guided us in the right direction to where we want to be.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Kevin: The Midnight – Nocturnal EP. That album was all of our introduction to synthwave, and it showed us how we can make beautiful music beyond the boundaries of metal and heavy music. One of our collective favorite albums to exist to this day.

DREAMWAKE LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

X – TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

Category: Interviews