Dream Pictures was written for the quiet hours that bring each day to a close. At night, after putting his children to bed, he would go into his garage to write, play his guitar, paint, and escape the world for a while. It was during those stretches of solitude at the end of the day when Combs penned the 12 songs that would become Dream Pictures. Combs co-produced the record with drummer Dom Billett. The two musicians began touring together in 2017, and their friendship is almost audible throughout the record. With the exception of instrumentalist Spencer Cullum, who contributed to pedal steel, Dream Pictures was entirely recorded and performed by Combs and Billett. The two embraced all the imperfections that came with the homemade tracking process, balancing the rawness of recording with the finesse of Combs' songwriting. They even captured Combs' vocals with a series of live-in-the-studio performances, resisting the temptation to edit different takes together for a more polished product. "This record is about contentment: being at ease with who I am and where I am at in my life and career," explains Combs. "It’s me sitting back at the end of each day and finding something that is inspiring, and embellishing on it. I don’t think many of these songs could’ve come if I was in turmoil. I think that dovetails with the album title, because being at ease with who I am lets my imagination run wild and gives me the ability to dream."
Catalogue number: VJLP285
