Quarter Short, the musical alter-ego of Meeanjin/Brisbane-based artist Eloise McElroy, has wowed me with just her second solo single, “Dreams Have Meaning.” Fresh to all your favourite streaming services today, it’s a quirky alt-pop track about waking up feeling more restless than rested.
If Regina Spektor and Hayley Williams ever collaborated on a song, I imagine it might sound a little something like “Dreams Have Meaning.” It hooked me in from the first beats of its punchy drum track. Eloise’s vocals are ethereal and seemingly effortless. They keep up with rapid-fire lyrics in the verses with ease, yet soar on the chorus with just as much composure. “Dreams Have Meaning” is such a complex track with a melody that takes so many twists and turns. When the hits of so many mainstream pop artists feel predictable, it’s a joy to hear music like this that’s truly original.
As a word nerd, a song needs to do more than sound great to hold my attention. Eloise checks this box too with brilliant lyrics that challenge the idea that our dreams always hold some deeper meaning. She was inspired to write “the song”Dreams Have Meaning” after waking from an adrenaline-pumping and frankly perplexing dream starring iconic action hero Bruce Willis. “I was bamboozled with what the dream actually meant and, how are you supposed to work out its message?” she said.
“Dreams Have Meaning” is such an ambitious and impressive track, especially considering how early it comes in Quarter Short’s career. However, she’s had a little help along the way. Eloise credits Gabi Kochlani, formerly of Universal Music in Los Angeles, for helping her strengthen the song’s complex structure and believe in her songwriting skills. Cameron Bower, known for his work with Meeanjin/Brisbane rock acts Big Dead and milk buttons and local jazz ensemble Cowbird, put on his producer hat and helped it become the bold pop bop that it is today.
“Dreams Have Meaning” is the follow-up to Quarter Short’s first single, “It Keeps.” Both songs will feature on a five-track EP to be released in the coming months. If you want to hear more music from Quarter Short before then, you can catch her playing a free acoustic show with Topaz Rose and Shanleigh at Bardon Bowls Club tomorrow, November 8, between midday and 4 pm.
Photo credit: Darcy Goss Media