There’s something undeniably cinematic about Michellar’s latest single ‘Dreaming’, like stumbling into a vintage lounge in Haight-Ashbury and catching the ghost of Grace Slick crooning over a surf-tinged soundtrack. But don’t be fooled by the velvet textures and paisley shimmer. Beneath its dreamy veneer lies a deep ache, a bitter elegy for forsaken ambitions and paths not taken.
Written by San Francisco’s own Michelle Bond and produced by Toby Wilson across the Atlantic, ‘Dreaming’ is a nostalgic reclamation, and a nod to a bygone era. Opening with a hypnotic guitar line that spirals like smoke in a technicolour spy film, the track channels the fuzzed-out spirit of the ‘60s while dragging it through the emotional grit of a modern day come-down. Bond’s vocals drift above the mix like a warning and a whisper, equal parts resignation and rebellion.
What really sets ‘Dreaming’ apart is its transcontinental heartbeat. Tracked in the all-femme energy of The Women’s Audio Mission in San Francisco and polished to a gleam in the UK, the song carries both local soul and global scope. It’s vintage without being dated, personal without being precious.
The real sting comes in the subtext. ‘Dreaming’ is a protest wrapped in velvet gloves. It’s the story of someone whose dreams were put on hold by a world too practical, too cynical, to believe in them. The result is a track that simmers with resentment but still dares to float, because even crushed dreams, when voiced with honesty, can still fly.
Michellar may have been sidelined by circumstance, but ‘Dreaming’ proves she’s got a voice that demands to be heard. This song is late-night reflections, candlelit rebellions, and sonic love letters to the dreamers who refuse to stay silent.
