On his latest cut ‘American Dreams’, the third single from Drew Thomas’ forthcoming EP looks at fame, money, beauty and success through a deliberately sceptical lens, asking what happens when the pursuit of an idealised life begins to demand too much in return.
The song’s imagery is immediately direct: billboards, magazine covers, perfect bodies, packed-out shows and the promise of a large house all become shorthand for the version of success people are encouraged to chase.
Musically, he continues to develop the grit-pop sound that has defined his recent work. The track is guitar-led and deliberately dramatic, with an early-00s influence running through its scale and attitude. That nostalgic edge fits naturally with his broader aesthetic, but the songwriting keeps the focus contemporary, particularly in its interest in image, visibility and self-worth.
Where previous releases ‘Boys Aren’t Supposed to Cry’ examined emotional repression and masculinity, and ‘Soda Friends’ explored the unstable intimacy of nightlife, this track broadens the perspective. The subject is no longer one specific relationship or environment, but the larger set of expectations surrounding achievement and identity.
Drew Thomas is clearly interested in performance and building a larger audience, yet ‘American Dreams’ is also willing to question the values attached to those goals. Rather than simply rejecting success outright, the song asks whether the pursuit of it can become hollow when it’s driven primarily by outside approval.
‘American Dreams’ keeps the argument relatively simple and lets the guitars provide the scale. It’s a direct, well-judged song about wanting more while remaining uncertain about what “more” is actually supposed to provide.