In Dream
by Editors
  • Record Label: PIAS
  • Release Date: Oct 2, 2015
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 43
  3. Negative: 6 out of 43
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  1. Rockman1976
    Nov 12, 2015
    7
    It's not a bad album but it's not the same band. Editors evolved into darker version of Coldplay, only softer and with more synth sounds. They almost sound like gothic version of Pet Shop Boys. Whatever happened to the haunting sounds of guitar present on first 3 albums? Even on "The Weight Of Your Love" there was "Sugar", a fantastic, guitar driven song. You won't find any songs like thatIt's not a bad album but it's not the same band. Editors evolved into darker version of Coldplay, only softer and with more synth sounds. They almost sound like gothic version of Pet Shop Boys. Whatever happened to the haunting sounds of guitar present on first 3 albums? Even on "The Weight Of Your Love" there was "Sugar", a fantastic, guitar driven song. You won't find any songs like that on this album. With that being said, after getting used to the change of sound there are some great songs on this album. And of course as always with Editors, there are some terrific bonus tracks/b-sides. Alternative version of "No Harm" stands out. Does this album deserve "o" stars? No, that is reserved for albums of "One Direction". You can't award ZERO for hard work and creativity and Editors still have that even if they sound like "Dead Can Dance"!!! I wish they would have changed their name after the departure of Chris Urbanowicz though.… Expand
  2. GJBrown
    Oct 16, 2015
    8
    Look a little deeper, look a little harder - thats what this album needs - no Papillion moment in here and that's a good thing. A little less freneticism is a positive. An album to savour not one to chew on and spit out in a few days. Roll on seeing them live.
  3. tigerskin84
    Oct 21, 2015
    8
    When i first heard no harm (1st single) i thought that this album where going to be bad but it caught me off guard and there are very good songs in it, (forgiveness,salvation is epic!!, ocean of night ,our love, marching orders)its not the good old editors but they managed to put a nice album, a lot better than the weight of your love.
  4. Brickfaced
    Nov 24, 2015
    9
    I went into this expecting the album to be trash, I honestly did, so I can only tell you how pleasantly surprised I am by it. Each track has merit in some way, whereas on previous albums, I've always felt there have been weak links holding the notable tracks together.

    I think Editors have always done a good job of creating a cohesive mood for an album, and this one is no exception. It    I went into this expecting the album to be trash, I honestly did, so I can only tell you how pleasantly surprised I am by it. Each track has merit in some way, whereas on previous albums, I've always felt there have been weak links holding the notable tracks together.

    I think Editors have always done a good job of creating a cohesive mood for an album, and this one is no exception. It has a dreamy sensibility, but it has energy too, with just the right amount of synths and some uptempo markers (Life Is A Fear, Our Love) to keep things dynamic. As a previous commenter mentioned, this album isn't one to listen to and forget, and it's easy to tell that it has a sense of timelessness that their other albums do not sustain.

    Provided you aren't expecting The Back Room 2.0, then there's plenty to appreciate here if you give it your undivided attention.    … Expand
  5. Noiseblock
    Dec 6, 2015
    9
    This is maybe the most fully realized body of work the Editors have put out since their debut "The Backroom". The question is, however, if it can mark the transition from a former alt-rock band to a new, synth-coldwave-pop band. Many fans will without a doubt miss the Backroom-editors on this record with their direct and fast-forward style, but "In Dream" neither wants to be nor needs toThis is maybe the most fully realized body of work the Editors have put out since their debut "The Backroom". The question is, however, if it can mark the transition from a former alt-rock band to a new, synth-coldwave-pop band. Many fans will without a doubt miss the Backroom-editors on this record with their direct and fast-forward style, but "In Dream" neither wants to be nor needs to be same Editors from their first record. Simply put: they are gone for the most part.

    The Editors now are a fully fleshed-out synth-pop band that still manages to stay true to the melancholic and oftentimes anthemic sound they established in the course of their career. This transition from a former alt-rock band has been going on for quite some time now, with an atmospheric "ITLAOTE" that fell flat in terms of lyrics and a fairly medicore "The weight of your love" that just couldn´t decide whether it wanted to keep the new style or revive the old Editors. The result was an album that had some massive flaws and felt like every good song was immediately followed by corny and sometimes outright awful Coldplay-esque stadion-pop.

    On In Dream, they have finally decided to BE a synth-pop band and go with their ITLAOTE-approach and it pays off. The songs are oftentimes more reduced and try to create a true atmosphere that carries the whole album instead of going for a few good songs and leaving the rest as filler-material. Almost everything seems to be in the right place with the Editors standing up for their complete change in a confident way. The more subdued songs compared to their former efforts like "No harm", "Our Love" and "Forgiveness" carry the whole album, while bombastic (yet not unintentionally hilarious) coldwave-beasts like "The Law" and "Life is a fear" give the whole album a sense of purpose in form of true climaxes. Meanwhile, "All the Kings" and "Ocean of Night" happily indulge themselves in danceable pop-territory while achieving the unexpected, which is not drifting off into unintentional cheesiness or lyrical nonsense, but instead producing hooking anthems with a tremendous sense for the right timing of the emotional outbursts.

    It´s great that all these songs work. Sadly, not all do that in quite the same extent. "Salvation" repeats the mistake from "TWOYL" and throws a half-balked stadion-anthem with no real variety in your face, wobbling back and forth between coldwave-influences and cheesy stadion-pop, even though the chorus is well arranged and the compelling shifts in the tempo redeem it to some extent. "At all cost", however, simply doesn´t work with its pseudo-ambient sound since it´s blatantly apparent that its real purpose is just filling the niche of a power-ballad that was shoehorned in to provide a song of that sort. While it´s not terribly bad, it doesn´t fit in "In Dream" as a whole, creating an awkward tonal dissonace between the preceding "All the Kings" and the following "Marching Orders", which would have both flown beautifully into each other without this track. "Marching orders" is also quite dividing, since it works well as a reviving pop-song in the beginning, yet for some, it could seem too drawn out as a whole in the end. It´s a pleasantly passionate song that works well in the contex of being an album-finisher with the second part fading out appropiately, but releasing it as a single does not seem a wise choice in retrospective since it feels ripped out of its intended role.

    In the end, however, "In Dream" is a surprsingly interesting, confident and rewarding listen that despite minor missteps marks the beginning for a bright future for the Editors. Their most compelling and fully-realized work since "The Backroom" and definitely a reason to dive into their gloomy world once again. 8,5/10 Stars.

    Tips: "The Law", "Life is a Fear", "Forgiveness", "No Harm", "Our Love"    … Expand
  6. Platendraaier
    Oct 2, 2015
    7
    Editors are looking at In Dream for a way through the synth-pop of the eighties and adding the influences from electronic music to it. The dreamlike atmospheres which the band creates aren't equally spread between the songs. Where the musicality sometimes effectively works towards the moment of discharge, other numbers remain too much on the surface of the music of the past. Yet the bandEditors are looking at In Dream for a way through the synth-pop of the eighties and adding the influences from electronic music to it. The dreamlike atmospheres which the band creates aren't equally spread between the songs. Where the musicality sometimes effectively works towards the moment of discharge, other numbers remain too much on the surface of the music of the past. Yet the band in its more sophisticated sounds and with the addition of Rachel Goswell maintain itself in their musical development.… Expand
  7. reoffender59
    Oct 14, 2015
    9
    I think this is Editors' best album to date: It is instrumentally, lyrically and composition-wise the most complicated and sophisticated one. And unlike the other reviewers here, this "sophistication" does not seem forced nor unnecessarily complex to me. I think the band is trying to define itself somewhere between new-wave and post punk and this album is a great combination of bothI think this is Editors' best album to date: It is instrumentally, lyrically and composition-wise the most complicated and sophisticated one. And unlike the other reviewers here, this "sophistication" does not seem forced nor unnecessarily complex to me. I think the band is trying to define itself somewhere between new-wave and post punk and this album is a great combination of both genres. It is definitely a strong 8 to weak 9.… Expand
  8. Poonta13
    Apr 4, 2016
    10
    It's like binging on Game of Thrones... for the ears. J'adore. I listen to "The Law" daily. Sexy stuff. I love when bands take risks and go rogue. Sinking my teeth into something new. Keep up the good work, y'all.
  9. Ricko
    Apr 10, 2016
    8
    Editors in their current form are far removed from the band that released the blistering "The Back Room" over a decade ago. The band moved left and right of their initial sound on album number 2. Considering their indie guitar rock origin, their third album "In This Light and On This Evening" can be considered to border on experimental and was a pivotal point for the band. It's mixedEditors in their current form are far removed from the band that released the blistering "The Back Room" over a decade ago. The band moved left and right of their initial sound on album number 2. Considering their indie guitar rock origin, their third album "In This Light and On This Evening" can be considered to border on experimental and was a pivotal point for the band. It's mixed reception halted the bands seemingly unstoppable rise to stadium rockers. After taking stock and regrouping (and losing a key member along the way) the band released album number 4 "The Weight of Your Love" a decent record which steadied the ship even if it was disappointingly safe and risk averse. This brings us to "In Dream". Album number 5 for the band but album number two for the new look version. "In Dream" is the record "The Weight of Your Love" wanted to be and needed to be. The dark brooding atmospherics that you associated with the best Editors work is present in abundance yet. Where experimentation with synths in the past has come across as awkward and clunky, here sounds like the perfect option. Similarly the string arrangements which sounded forced and "for the sake of it" on the previous record, sound sincere and very much integral on "In Dream". While they don't quite match the fire or catchiness of their excellent first 2 records, the quality of the tunes on "In Dream" is back to that level. Don't get me wrong, this album is far from perfect and at times some of the bands ideas far outstay their welcome. However, on "In Dream" the band sound fresh and vital, honest and full of integrity for the first time in the best part of a decade.… Expand
  10. REBELDE48
    Dec 8, 2022
    7
    This album is very good is like a cinematic record very epic and nostalgic but it feels very long in some parts

Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Most Discussed Album of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Under The Radar
    Nov 12, 2015
    75
    Bold, occasionally baffling, and utterly unlike anything the band has done before. [Nov-Dec 2015, p.69]
  2. Sputnikmusic
    Oct 7, 2015
    58
    Unfortunately, it’s an LP which simply lacks reward... Both for listeners and, ultimately, the band.
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  3. The Line of Best Fit
    Oct 6, 2015
    70
    In Dreams skirts a line of uncertainty between if the album is too over-populated or if the listener is too feint of heart.
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