Paerish – You’re in Both Dreams (And You’re Scared) LP SideOneDummy Records

If you’ve seen David Lynch’s classic film Mulholland Dr., you might recognize the title of Pærish’s third full-length, You’re In Both Dreams (And You’re Scared). It’s a line spoken by one of the two men having a conversation in that movie’s incongruous diner scene. Pærish vocalist/guitarist Mathias Court was watching the film for maybe the tenth time last year, and, given the insecurity of being a musician during the COVID pandemic, that line stood out to him like never before.

Given that Pærish was formed when Court was at film school with bassist Martin Dupraz, it’s little surprise that the band—now completed by guitarist Frédéric Wah and drummer Loic Fouquet—would use a cinematic reference for its title. The first two records were peppered with them, and many of their songs started with Court fiddling with his guitar while watching something in the hopes that he’d capture the emotion of whatever was onscreen. This time around, the title is the only thing directly inspired by the moving image. Whereas on 2016’s Semi Finalists and 2021’s Fixed It All, Court would utilize other people’s art to draw parallels to how he was feeling, this time it was his own internal wranglings that influenced his songwriting.

By December 2021, Court had demoed the album. A year later, Pærish flew to Philadelphia to record with Will Yip. The band’s familiarity with Yip lends a natural confidence to this album that disproves the very insecurities that inspired it. It turned into the album Pærish have always wanted to make.

“When I listen to these songs,” says Court, “I almost don’t realize this is our album. I feel like we got even closer to our final form. This is the one we’ve been wanting since we were kids. I’m so proud of it.”