B-Side Guys

There’s something about British coastal towns that breeds dreamlike music, and First Day of Spring’s “Stupid” carries that tradition forward from their Southend-on-Sea origins to their current London base. Samuel Jones and his five-piece outfit create a soundscape that feels both tied to location and untethered from reality, channeling influences from Cocteau Twins to Spiritualized while carving out their own atmospheric territory.

The production demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of shoegaze dynamics, building layers of sound that manage to feel both dense and surprisingly buoyant. Jones’s experience with various projects (The Bellybuttons, Velvet Morning, Rocket Ship TV) reveals itself in the confident way the band navigates between gentle melancholy and euphoric crescendos, creating emotional peaks and valleys that never feel forced.

Drawing from the Clean’s jangly dreaminess and Sonic Youth’s textural experimentation, the arrangement creates space for both contemplation and catharsis. Each instrument occupies its own distinct layer in the mix while contributing to a collective sound that achieves the band’s stated goal of transporting listeners beyond their immediate reality.

The track showcases First Day of Spring’s ability to balance storytelling with pure sound design, crafting moments where narrative and atmosphere become indistinguishable. This approach aligns them with shoegaze pioneers while avoiding simple imitation, suggesting how the genre can evolve beyond its 90s foundations.

“Stupid” succeeds because it understands that dream pop’s power lies not in complete escape but in the tension between reality and transcendence. Like their Thames estuary homeland, where land meets sea in constantly shifting patterns, First Day of Spring creates music that exists in the spaces between states, inviting listeners to lose themselves in the ebb and flow.