The decision to create popular art during troubled times has been a dilemma for many musicians these days. As Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards put it, “Distraction, depression, and heartbreak reign supreme in 2025. Making art in this day and age for me is a battle.” She and her partner, Nate Brenner, openly wave their freak flag high with explicitly political lyrics performed over funky electronic loops. Better Dreaming‘s songs have deeply emotional cores. They simultaneously ask how one party can work when the world is such a fucked-up place, and how we cannot celebrate when all that is essential lies in our authentic selves expressing ourselves.
Be true to one’s humanity or socking the bad guy? What’s a person to do? Tune-Yards try to have it both ways. Their lyrics range from wanting us to dream better dreams to sucker punching authority. The musical accompaniment veers between pounding percussion and claps, and purposely off-key instrumentation, with strange sounds mixed in repetitive patterns. The recurring motifs ground the seemingly spontaneous moments.
Despite the overtly political lyrics, there is minimal specific name-calling or identifiable causes endorsed or degraded. The songs encourage resistance and liberation. In “How Big Is the Rainbow”, they ask with allusions to those who would limit outward displays of sexuality. The song “Swarm” refers to groups that come together to fight for a better life for everyone. As its title suggests, “Sanctuary” addresses those who have endured long journeys in search of a better life. These tracks are dream-like more than propagandistic. Their beats mimic those of human hearts.
The songs are more concerned with the future than with past wrongs. As titles such as “Never Look Back”, “Perpetual Motion”, and “See You There” insinuate, one needs to keep on moving on. The words complement the music’s danceability.
The tracks tend to blend into each other because of their shared rhythms. What works on the dance floor does lend itself to sameness when just listening. Each of the 11 tracks has its own quirky moments. Better Dreams sounds best in small doses. The common theme that runs through them matters less than their individual idiosyncrasies. For example, the surrealistic imagery of “Suspended” seems ordinary compared to the weirdness of the two songs that frame it (“Never Look Back” and “Limelight”), which are much more dynamic. That presents a sonic respite from the noisiness of its companions, which lessens the impact of “Suspended”.
We live in a bizarro world that seems to worsen every day. Whatever one’s personal politics are, we all seem to agree on one thing: the future is less promising than we once thought. What can we do about it? Tune-Yards offer advice on navigating life’s challenges. On a basic level, this involves singing and dancing, and the duo are not dumb. They know there is much more to it than that. Action is needed, but in the meantime, they also understand the importance of self-expression and joining with others to make all of our dreams come true.