As a fan of the dream pop scene, my biggest challenge is finding new albums to listen to. My current favorite songs have been stuck in my music rotation for months, and I’ve been trying to expand my music taste for some time now. Luckily, I struck gold a few months ago and came across the criminally underrated album Ceres and Calypso in the Deep Time, and I am more than glad that I did.

Released in 2013, Ceres and the Calypso in the Deep Time is an album created by Candy Claws, a Colorado-based music group. Their strange knack for storytelling came to life in this project specifically. This project explores the adventures of a seal-like animal and a human girl throughout the Mesozoic Era, journeying through the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous eras. The members of Candy Claws collaborated with poet Jenn Morea to write the lyrics for this album. Her expertise in writing blossomed throughout her lyrics, each song depicting the beautiful landscapes of our world. Candy Claws built off of her writing by filling each track with dreamy vocals and various sounds, whether using stringed instruments or electronic synths. Most importantly, the band’s diverse music inspirations are what creates an immersive scenery for their audience.

Candy Claws’ interesting production style is inspired by countless music eras, most notably 50s bossa nova, 60s pop, and 90s shoegaze. Their inspirations, along with their production talent, is what makes Ceres and Calypso in the Deep Time different from other albums. Every track feels like a different experience, but they all add up to create a cohesive project along with a light-hearted story. The poetic lyrics and small references to Earth’s beauty tie into the atmospheric feel that this album is going for. All of these details left me admiring Candy Claws’ talent in musical production, but also their ability to make a world simply out of sounds.

When I came across Ceres and Calypso in the Deep Time, I was first intrigued by the cover art. After a lot of research, my interest for this album peaked, and I knew that I had to give it a listen. My love for niche artists and conceptual albums thrived as I listened to each track, even more so around the end. Although Candy Claws’ production can sound confined or distorted, I personally enjoyed their take on the dream pop scene. I guarantee that somebody in the music world will have a newfound love for this album, especially shoegaze or dream-pop fans. Ceres and Calypso in the Deep Time may not be for everyone, but it is definitely worth a listen!