Reviewed: sunflwr - ‘heard it in a dream’
- Tony Allen
- Apr 2
- 4 min read
There’s something quietly powerful about an artist who knows exactly what they want to say - and how to say it without shouting.
On ‘heard it in a dream’, LA-based producer sunflwr (real name Lucas Hanson) takes that quiet power and runs with it. Across eleven tracks, he presents a sonic world that feels intimate yet cinematic, deeply emotional but never overcooked. It is designed as much for inward reflection as it is for moving bodies in low-lit club spaces.
It’s the kind of record that doesn’t just land - it lingers.
This is sunflwr’s debut LP, but it doesn’t play like one. The confidence in the sound design, pacing, and tracklist structure suggests an artist who’s spent years sharpening his craft. And it shows. Rooted in deep house with flourishes of lo-fi, soul, broken beat, and indie electronica, ‘heard it in a dream’ feels like the product of someone who’s taken time to listen - not just to music, but to life.
It opens with ‘miniature overture’, a track that acts more like a welcome mat than a statement piece. It’s subdued, vinyl crackle layered under woozy pads and soft vocals. There’s restraint here, and it works. It invites you in instead of demanding your attention. The groove rolls gently but with intent - you’re already in the mood before you realise the record’s begun.
From there, things start to unfurl.
The dj poolboi collab ‘stay in my dreams’ carries that same hazy, late-night feel. It leans into harpsichord touches and echoing vocal snippets that feel like they’ve been plucked straight from a dusty cassette. It’s lo-fi without falling into parody - emotive without being obvious.
By the time we hit ‘nightcrossing’ with Paluma Sound, there’s a noticeable shift. The BPM rises, the energy tightens. Still dreamy, still delicate - but with more bite. That balance becomes one of the album’s defining qualities. Nothing is one-note. Every track has its own microclimate, and the transitions between them are handled with care.
A big part of that comes down to collaboration.
Across the LP, sunflwr links up with a wide range of artists - Ella Rosa, Keilimei, obli, dj poolboi (twice) - and each time, the chemistry clicks. Take ‘feel it yet?’ for example. It’s the focus track for a reason. Ella Rosa’s vocal drips with feeling, melting into a groove that feels like it’s been built to wrap around her. The instrumentation is precise but never rigid. Everything flows. It’s hard not to get swept up in it.
Same goes for ‘could we be fine’, featuring Keilimei. This one leans a little more introspective, balancing a warm melodic core with percussive details that sneak in and out of the mix. There’s a tactility to this track that’s hard to put into words - you feel it in your chest, not just your ears.
It’s worth pointing out how strong the solo productions are, too.
‘breathing in’ is a standout - gorgeously minimal in its opening but layered with intent. The piano work is subtle but affecting, the vocal hook just enough to anchor you without overpowering. This is sunflwr in his purest form: painterly with his textures, obsessive with his rhythm section.
Then there’s ‘she was brave’, which hits a bit harder. Piano-led again, but this time backed by a thicker groove and more movement in the arrangement. It pushes and pulls with real momentum. One of those tracks you could easily imagine bringing a dancefloor into a shared, emotional zone.
And then there’s ‘iris’, the curveball - and maybe the best track on the whole album.
It taps into a breaks and 2-step energy that’s totally different from what’s come before, but still very much sunflwr. The low-end is rougher, the top-end more ethereal. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to sit forward, headphones on, lights off. This is where you really hear the influence of acts like Bonobo and Little Dragon - artists who can flip a genre on its head and still make it sound unmistakably their own.
Closing tracks ‘he made sail’, ‘leaving home’, and ‘when there’s no one else’ round off the record beautifully.
‘he made sail’ plays like a soft landing after ‘iris’ - soulful, syncopated, layered with chopped vocal phrasing that dances in the gaps. ‘leaving home’ is more of a journey track - almost a tale in two parts, with a playful first half morphing into something far more melancholic and introspective.
And ‘when there’s no one else’? What a closer. Swinging drums, marimba textures, and one last vocal earworm that cements the record’s emotional core. It’s final without feeling abrupt. More like a wave goodbye than a door slam.
Across the board, what stands out most is just how considered this album feels. Nothing is accidental. Nothing overstays its welcome. You can feel the bass player in sunflwr coming through in the grooves - everything locked tight, but always human. You can hear the pianist in how the melodies shift, how they resolve.
What could’ve been a loosely curated collection of beats instead lands as a cohesive body of work - connected, elegant, and quietly bold.
And it sounds like him. That might be the most important part.
In a time when house music is more saturated than ever, ‘heard it in a dream’ cuts through - not by being louder or more polished, but by sounding deeply personal. It doesn’t try to be everything for everyone. It just tries to be real.
If you’re looking for something to dance to, it’s there. If you want something to sit with, to drive with, to disappear into - that’s here too.
This is house music with a soul, and a story.
And for a debut album, that’s pretty special.
sunflwr
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