Drawing from early metalcore, screamo, hardcore, and post-hardcore, The Test Dream channel the spirit of the late '90s. With a new collection of all their recorded material to date, Skin Graft Poetry, out now, it's a great time to discover the Sacramento band if you haven't already.
Vocalist Chris Burnett traces his own introduction to the heavier side of the music spectrum back to a familiar gateway for many millennials. "I got into hardcore because I was a young punk rocker in middle school," he tells No Echo. "I found punk rock through skate culture and the Tony Hawk games like a lot of people my age did."
Chris' curiosity soon pushed him past the records he found on his own. "Once I found out there were local bands, I became way more exposed to the wide array of bands that existed within the scene at the time, and the rest is history." Catherine, Stars Are Falling, Mozart Season, and Elysia were among the first local bands to make an impact, while Dropkick Murphys and Strike Anywhere fueled his earliest interest in punk.
Those early years set the stage for The Test Dream. By then, the members had already spent years collaborating together. "All five of us have been in bands together throughout our whole lives," Burnett says. "Six if you include our original bassist, Dillan."
Rather than starting another traditional hardcore band, Burnett and guitarist Brandon wanted a project with fewer stylistic boundaries. "This band was something Brandon and I had been kicking around for years. We've always wanted to be in another band together playing a style of hardcore where we could just kind of do whatever we wanted with."
That sense of freedom became central to the band's approach. "It's an ode to the mixed bills we all grew up seeing when we were younger."
Burnett's list of influences is always shifting, but a handful of records remain constant touchstones. Among the biggest touchstones are All Else Failed's This Never Happened, Every Time I Die's Last Night in Town, This Day Forward's The Transient Effect of Light on Water, Fordirelifesake's Breathing In Is Only Half the Function, and Underoath's The Changing of Times.
Screamo has been just as crucial in shaping the band's sound. "Shout out to bands like In Loving Memory, Neil Perry, and Dispensing of False Halos," Burnett says.
The mix of influences runs through Skin Graft Poetry, which started as a collection of the band's earlier releases. "Originally, Skin Graft Poetry was a compilation of everything we'd released on vinyl through the now-defunct Home to Heart Records," Burnett explains, referring to the label run by his friend Tate, who also plays in Onewaymirror and Start Today. "You can check out a demo of a new track called 'Dead at the Automat' on the Skin Graft Poetry CD. It won't be on streaming."
The project shifted direction after the band met DAZE founder Lumpy at RBS Fest earlier this year. "We linked up after our set, and it was a perfect fit for both of us." Instead of a straightforward reissue, the plan grew into something bigger. "He wanted to remaster our discography and release it on compact disc with a new demo track, and now here we are."
Burnett is quick to acknowledge what the opportunity means. "We're insanely fortunate to be on DAZE Records with so many dope-ass bands."
On the hardcore and hardcore-adjacent tip, Sacramento is known for bands like Deftones, Will Haven, Far, and Hoods, but Burnett sees a new generation that deserves recognition too. Among his recommendations are Day Hike, Defective Chain, Crowd Control, and UNI. He also highlights one of the area's most important resources for local shows. "Shout out Lee from Sacramento Punk Shows," Burnett says. "He keeps an ongoing calendar of basically every gig happening within a 30-mile radius."
With the compilation out now, and a label deal locked in, The Test Dream are working on the chapter. "We've got some fall tours that will be announced soon," promises Burnett. "We're working on a new record and will have brand-new music out through DAZE soon."
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Skin Graft Poetry is available now on CD via DAZE.
The Test Dream on social media: Instagram
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