Page 30 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 103

BV103 pg28-33 centre Dream State_BV103 pg30 22/12/2019 23:46 Page 3

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ind your tribe,’ they say, although sometimes we can go through life feeling like we

‘Fdon’t have a tribe. We haven’t found the ones we gel with; the ones that understand
us and we understand them. Yet often, with music, you can stumble across a scene, or a
band, where you suddenly feel you belong. Dream State are inspiring others after others

have inspired them. They want to be the light when the only thing you can see is darkness.
Frontwoman CJ Gilpin has been in the dark herself, and, now aspires to help others, and
with their debut album, ‘Primrose Path’, Dream State are doing just that.

orming at the end of 2014 in South what is perfect. People try and follow that, ing a good day and you wake up, you’re like
FWales, Dream State released their and that’s false. For me, it’s false. My truth is ‘Oh, I feel good,’ the world’s suddenly better.
debut EP, ‘Consequences’, in November false, it might be somebody else’s truth you I try and say to girls, ‘Don’t try and change
2015 to critical acclaim, although it was know, but for me it can be very hard for girls anything yet. Try and heal what’s going on in
‘White Lies’ that became their breakthrough and boys that are unconfident in themselves here first’,” she points to her mind, “‘and
single in March 2017. The band, that features that see these set standards of beauty and then make these big decisions.” She points
Charlotte-Jayne Gilpin on vocals, Aled they feel not good enough for the world, so to her head again, “This is ruling every-
Evans on lead guitar, Rhys Wilcox on rhythm they try everything to try and reach that, and thing.”
guitar and backing vocals and Jamie Lee on if they feel like they don’t, it kind of has an
drums, followed a second five-track EP re- effect on their mental health and their own e ask if she aims for perfection in
lease (‘Recovery’ – of which ‘White Lies’ was self-confidence, whereas I’m like, ‘I don’t get Wany areas of her life, ie. music?
one of the tracks) in 2018 with their debut it’. One day we’re all going to look like old “No, I don’t set standards any more,” CJ
album, ‘Primrose Path’, in October of 2019. leather handbags… And it’s not going to replies. “I don’t have any limits. Again, set-
Charlotte-Jayne, who goes by the shortened matter one day, and you’ll look back and ting those standards, it limits you as well, so
abbreviation of CJ, tells Black Velvet that the think ‘Why did I waste so much time bloody the potential of what you could possibly
feedback from the album has been very pos- worrying and spending all that time trying to reach, and if you take away the bar and take
itive. “Yeah, it’s been sick. I can’t get over it. change myself and I am good enough?’” away the box, everything is limitless. Musi-
And a lot of kids are writing to me saying, A few months ago, we specifically read cally, I don’t believe in putting any limits in
like the EP did, it’s helping them. The songs an article in the paper about a young girl who the sound. That’s why the album had to be
mean so much to them and they’ve said had had two different surgery procedures at quite diverse and different, and every song
they’ve never had such a relatable album in the same time ‘because it was cheaper’, who had to stand on its own. So I got rid of that
many years. Yes, it’s been wonderfully over- ended up dying because of it. It seemed sort of standard. I don’t strive for perfection.
whelming.” such a waste of a life. The only thing I strive for perfection in is…
The band have said that they want to “I know, ‘Was it worth it?’ sort of thing,” ‘perfection’ whatever… it’s just to be better
speak for the ones who can’t - so we ask CJ CJ responds. “People like that, I think we’re in myself as a human being, as a person, to
who the ones that can’t, are. making the mistakes in certain generations learn about all the negative parts of myself
“The people that have been suffering, in order for the future to be better. But then, and my shadow parts of my personality and
that not necessarily have a support group I always get conflicted. I try not to judge. I’ve learn to know all of them, and learn to love
behind them or a support around them, that got friends close to me that have Botox and them too. And my mission is to kind of, I
kind of feel shackled within themselves like lips done and I’m like ‘Who am I to judge don’t know, to defeat the thing that lacks
I once did,” she replies. “It’s those people I them? Who am I to say that’s wrong?’ I just confidence in me. That’s the only thing I kind
want to reach into and bring out the light in. know that they’re doing it because they don’t of want to fight. But yeah, I don’t think I have
The same way I felt when I first discovered think they’re good enough, that they have to a set standard for perfection. I used to when
bands like Linkin Park and stuff, and I felt change their physical form and it’s like, I I was younger, but growing up teaches you
like I didn’t have a voice, and these people don’t want them to think that they have to do things, getting older; that’s the beauty of
gave people like me a voice ‘cause you re- that because I think they’re beautiful anyway, aging. We don’t give aging enough credit if
lated so much to the suffering. It’s those but again, because of media and stuff, we’ve I’m honest. I feel so different to the girl I was
people I kinda want to get into, into their set that standard and we’re trying to mimic when I was 14/15 to the girl who is in her
minds and awaken some confidence and tell it in some way, where, I think, like nature, we early 20s.”
them it’s going to be OK and enlighten them should all try to find our individual expres-
and ‘You can rise,’ and, with us, and the sup- sion and not be afraid of that. I’m very con- ne in four people in the world will be
port and power of music, I think, and the flicted half the time, but as long as people Oaffected by mental or neurological
power of expression, you can.” are happy, I’m happy. But yeah, that’s awful disorders at some point in their lives, ac-
The new album, produced by Dan Weller, to hear that. That’s horrible. Poor family.” cording to the World Health Organisation. Dr.
who has worked with the likes of Enter We often don’t realize how insecure most Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former Director-
Shikari, Babymetal and Bury Tomorrow, was people are - and it’s a shame. General of WHO says, “Mental illness is not
recorded at Silk Mill Studios in Stoke-on- CJ says, “It’s all self-hatred. Any sort of a personal failure. In fact, if there is failure, it
Trent, and features all kinds of relatable sub- addiction, anxiety or when people do this to is to be found in the way we have responded
ject matter – everything from social themselves, it’s linked to a form of self-hate. to people with mental and brain disorders.”
commentary to dysfunctional relationships It’s like when you look in that mirror and say, At the beginning of single ‘Open Windows’,
to struggles with addictions. ‘Open Win- ‘No, I love you. I love you body, and I’m going CJ quite adamantly states ‘Listen’. She says,
dows’ is a song that we definitely relate to. to love… Charlotte’,” she taps herself while “That was me saying, ‘cause I was having an
It’s a song related to mental health and the saying this, “…Whoever you are and tell absolute breakdown one day, ‘cause I had
pressure to be flawless, thanks to social yourself ‘I love you’ and practice saying ‘I someone close to me who I love very much
media. love you’ because we’re so hard on our- having some mental health issues. I was try-
Singing ‘I just don’t get it,’ CJ says, “Just selves. We’re constantly going ‘I don’t like ing to find the money to pay to privately get
like the way we’ve set a standard of beauty this, I don’t like this,’ and you’re burying it in some help, but it was so much money and
and society’s standards and it doesn’t res- your subconscious to the point where your then the NHS, it was six weeks, but it took a
onate with me with my core self, ‘cause I body believes you, everything believes you. year. I was trying to say to the world, ‘We’re
don’t see us all to look good, to me…” she One of my favourite quotes is by an author doing it wrong, and we’re missing the mark
looks down, “they’re spacesuits of skin, here called Anais Nin. She says ‘You don’t see here.’ Something’s not right. We can’t help
to bring us experience. For me, we’re always things as they are, you see things as we are,’ each other out and it involves this thing
striving, there’s gotta be ‘the perfect Insta- so the more negative you are inside, the we’ve created which we call money, which is
gram thing’ and Instagram and social media more the world, the perception of yourself is an exchange of energy, but I just think we’re
set standards to what… a false perception to going to be dark, whereas when you’re hav- doing it wrong. If someone needs help, we’ve
DREAM STATE