Static Daydream is the latest sonic brainchild of Paul Baker, founding member of the shoegaze cult favorites Skywave and Ceremony. His girlfriend, Jamie Casey, makes up the other half of this melancholic noise-pop duo hailing from Fredericksburg. Underneath the dense layers of fuzz distortion and vocal effects, the couple stick to a refreshingly pure motive—staying true to the music that inspires them.
Paul and Jamie became romantically involved in 2012 and embarked on their musical collaborations almost immediately thereafter. “We started dating and I discovered that Jamie had a wonderful singing voice. She was kind enough to participate,” Paul recalled sincerely. That year, they began recording what would become their first EP, The Only One, a preview of things to come. This past August, in partnership with Moon Sound Records and Saint Marie Records, they released the full version, a self-titled eleven-track album that demonstrates a remarkable level of polish and conceptual focus. Although singing had always been a passion for Jamie, the recording studio was an unfamiliar environment. “It was a completely different experience to be singing with headphones,” she explained, “It was very disorienting at first.” Despite this, there is no hint of uneasiness in her vocals as they sync flawlessly with Paul’s on the punchy, soaring opener “More Than Today,” then shift hauntingly to the slightly darker “Run Into the Night.” Paul’s seasoned songwriting combines with Jamie’s fresh interpretation to create a sound that is genuine and unaffected. While the album’s musical approach isn’t a dramatic departure from the distortion-fueled darkwave jams of Paul’s past projects, the sound carries a subtle complexity that sets it apart. Each carefully placed track flows sublimely into the next, leading you on a dreamy lo-fi journey through post-punk guitar rhythms, wistful mid-tempo sequences, and moody layers of reverb haze.
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