After: 300 Dreams

Beep beep — You've got BLOG mail!
Get the internet dialed up and check your AIM. After just dropped a track that would've broken every Myspace heart in your Top 8. It's called 300 Dreams, and it’s what we’re diving into this week.

This magical duo took a floppy disk and stuck it right in my analog heart. Somehow, they’ve managed to bottle the exact timbre of an early-2000s Michelle Branch or Vanessa Carlton record — pure emotional nostalgia, wrapped in soft shimmer and catchy ache.

Most music discoveries come with a story — a night out, a friend’s rec, a random playlist rabbit hole. But this one? It’s less about how I found 300 Dreams and more about how it found me. It didn’t just pass through — it unpacked its Walkman and stayed.

But first...who is After? How did this happen? HOW DID I GET HERE?

The answer, apparently, is somewhere between 2003 and a very good Instagram algorithm.

Y2K Sound, 2025 Discovery

You’d never guess I found After on Instagram the first time you hear them. After sounds more like a CD I stumbled across in a thrift store — or an indie artist I randomly discovered on the library CD rack. And I mean that as the highest compliment.

When I was a kid, my family didn’t just check out books from the library — we checked out music. CDs. Piles of them. In our house, we’ve always been that obsessed with music. My dad even calls himself a world-renowned, self-proclaimed “Professional Listener.” I carry the title proudly, too. I’m even thinking about making stickers for the blog that say Professional Listener — maybe with some headphones and a little boombox or Discman for flair.

We’d grab ten, twelve CDs at a time — whatever the limit was — and listen to them all, front to back. And no, we definitely didn’t rip them onto our family computer and burn our own mix CDs. That would be illegal. We’re not criminals. …Yeah.

And every once in a while, you’d strike gold. An album you loved all the way through. That’s how I discovered Michelle Branch’s The Spirit Room — I played it nonstop and fell head over heels for everything about it.

That’s what I mean about After. It feels strange to say I found them on Instagram — because sonically, emotionally, spiritually, it feels more like that kind of discovery than… well, that. You know?

The truth is, finding new music on Instagram, TikTok, even Facebook — it’s just part of the landscape now. And sure, part of me still wrestles with that shift. But then I wonder: when would I have found After? Would they ever come on the radio? Would I have caught them in a record store bin? Maybe not.

I might not love the way the industry’s changed… but I’m endlessly grateful for indie artists like After who keep putting their music out into the void. Clearly, it’s reaching the right ears.

Also wanted to mention how incredibly beautiful their promotional material is. It seems that the majority of their flyers, album art and single art are done by artist @lyfegain on instagram. That's about all I know about them. Hey lyfegain, your work for After is stunning.

The Memory of the Real Thing

Most of my friends are musicians. That wasn’t exactly on purpose—it just kind of happened that way. You follow the music long enough, you end up surrounded by people who do the same.

We all value it for different reasons. Some obsess over tone. Some over vintage gear, rare pedals, the right mic. Some chase the high of performing. That feeling when the lights hit and the crowd disappears.

Me? I’m mostly in it for this:
What does this song—this artist—have to teach me about being human?
That’s the thing I keep coming back for. That’s the hit I’m chasing.

Graham Epstein and Justine Dorsey have written some pretty incredible lyrics that stuck with me during a transformative period of my life, while also adding that carefree, trip-pop sound that makes blasting their tunes on the freeway feel like a magic carpet ride. The combination of simply put yet deeply transformative lyrics, plus the twinkle of its timbre and tone, gives 300 Dreams the title of one of my favorite discoveries this summer. In fact, this might just be my song of the summer.

Justine sings:

“She’s the only girl you’ve ever wanted to be in your life.”

“It’s a high speed chase to find out who you’ve been this entire time.”

“Look at the state of me, I’m always falling down.”

Maybe it’s hitting because of where I’m at in life, and if you’re in a similar place, it’s probably hitting you too. I love this message, and I love the idea of creating music that speaks to those who are shedding layers, relearning who they are, breaking cycles, unlearning what was never really them. That you’re going to fall and make mistakes, but it’ll only aid your journey toward the self, not hinder it. I LOVE THIS SONG.

Do I even dare talk about the timbre and production of this tune? If you don’t wanna see me nerd out, maybe stop reading here…

These sorcerers of pop have bottled the essence of my Hello Kitty CD player and barefoot runs through summer sprinklers, pairing it with grown-up, whimsical takes on coming-of-age.

Somehow, they’ve managed to make modern pop without letting it sound over-processed — it actually breathes. When Justine sings, it feels like she’s right here in the room. (Side note: I love catching Graham slip in those octave-below lines in the post-chorus.) The drums are locked in and tight, cutting out at exactly the right moments. The bass tickles your eardrums — delightfully wobbly, just enough to make you grin.

Honestly, this might be one of my favorite pop tracks of the last few years. And keep in mind, when I’m sharing this, Subway by Chappell Roan has already dropped — a different kind of pop entirely. But I think the folks in After could give a masterclass in production.

And again — I’m only going off what I know. I’m not interviewing them, I don’t know them personally. All my information comes from my own digging, and so far I haven’t seen a single mention of another producer. If you catch a whiff, let me know — I’m ridiculously curious about the magic behind this time capsule of a band. Anyway, enough nerding.

A couple weeks ago, I left my friend’s place in Ontario and took the toll road down through Laguna Woods to my grandma’s house. That road cuts through these golden, rolling hills, and it was one of those perfect California afternoons — windows down, warm breeze, sun just leaning into golden hour. I had After on shuffle, and when “300 Dreams” came on, I was in that rare, perfect place where the road, the song, and the moment all line up. Bliss.

Got to share that kind of magic with Angel a different weekend too — we’d been on this massive 2000’s pop kick, the kind where you remember every ad-lib and drum fill — and After just… hit. 

HEY — I know you came here for music discovery… but if any of those lyrics hit a nerve, I see you. For a long, undisclosed stretch of time, I’ve been on a journey back to myself. I stopped trying so hard and started surrendering to who I am — and trust me, there are whole philosophical chapters I could drop here, but I’ll spare you.

What I want you to know is this: no matter your journey, no matter your path, you made it here. And I’m proud of you. In the immortal words of the legendary Huey Lewis from the criminally underrated Oliver & Company:

“Keep that dream alive. Dreamin’ is still how the strong survive…”

That, my friends, is the heart and soul of 300 Dreams. Keep dreaming your way into who you really are. One day, you’ll blink — and realize you're already there.

Love you. Stay tuned.

— Berly D

If you dug this post, feel free to tip the scribbler: Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/berlyd

Listen to 300 Dreams here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv8thdk-7vc&list=OLAK5uy_kUcHkMgzVktKSRdyThF4JIH1Hdiv57iyM&index=1

Listen to the After album here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kUcHkMgzVktKSRdyThF4JIH1Hdiv57iyM

After's bandcamp: https://after95.bandcamp.com/