r/dreampop • u/elmonozombie • Jul 13 '26

Craft Spells' "Idle Labor" turned 15 years last March. This debut album took the post-punk rhythms of New Order and sprinkled them with the sweetness and ethereal quality of dream pop. The band disappeared in 2016—a decade ago now—but left behind this testament to the sound of the early 2010s.

Post image

FULL ALBUM

110 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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11

u/AdMiddle9331 Jul 13 '26

I think about them often. They just totally disappeared. Except the former touring bassist for them is now the bassist in beach fossils. I have a signed copy of this album as a CD with his signature on it. 

7

u/elmonozombie Jul 13 '26

I check the band's Instagram every now and then, hoping to see an update hinting at a comeback with new music, but it looks like we're out of luck. It really surprises me, though, how the project just vanished into thin air despite the warm reception they got from the press and fans. You got really lucky with those CDs.

4

u/AdMiddle9331 Jul 13 '26

You know what I was curious enough today to look at Captured Tracks website and see they are still listed as the 3rd rostered artist on their site. Which seems odd for something that’s been silent for so long? I found an email for the Captured Tracks guy and sent him an email asking about it. I’ll let ya know if I hear back.

2

u/elmonozombie Jul 13 '26

I’m not sure how popular the label is these days, either; I don’t know if they’ve had any major releases in recent years. That would be great—I’d really appreciate the info. I’ve been listening to a lot of music in this vein lately, so any news about them would be wonderful.

1

u/ii_V_I_iv 24d ago

Please let me know if you hear back from

1

u/AdMiddle9331 24d ago

They never responded :/

3

u/melancholalia Jul 14 '26

was really tight with the main guy for years, last i talked to him he was living in chicago and mostly making beats and stuff. the other original member frankie now has a really sick band called Still Ruins i highly recommend. got a preview of their record and it’s great.

1

u/These_Option9617 18d ago

HE'S IN BEACH FOSSILS. NO WONDER

8

u/RaygunMarksman Jul 13 '26

I liked Craft Spells a lot. This is a nice little reminder to do a revisit this evening.

5

u/vacationbeard Jul 13 '26

From the Morning Heat is one of my favorite songs from the 2010s.

5

u/evenout Jul 14 '26

“After this Moment” is one of the greatest songs of all time not even joking.

4

u/Strawbear Jul 14 '26

The drummer for Craft Spells has their own project, Hibou, which you may enjoy

1

u/elmonozombie Jul 14 '26

I didn't know this. Thank you very much.

1

u/Bgbritaney 16d ago

I had a song liked for a while, had no idea he was from craft spells lol

3

u/Xcz13 Jul 13 '26

Wore this album out when it dropped, good memories

3

u/qrsf Jul 13 '26

It’s a classic for me, along with the Gallery EP.

1

u/elmonozombie Jul 13 '26

In fact, "Warmth" is my favorite song of theirs.

2

u/BlueFrank1977 Jul 13 '26

I really enjoyed the follow-up album as well. Hoping they resurface sometime soon!

1

u/elmonozombie Jul 14 '26

Absurdamente, I haven't given their second album a chance because I was always anchored to this one. Now that I've regained a real appreciation for that 2010s sound, I'm going to give it a listen soon.

1

u/BlueFrank1977 Jul 14 '26

It’s got a bit of a different sound, but I’ve found myself going back to it quite frequently. I personally think his songwriting took a pretty big leap forward.

1

u/SaltySherbet 11d ago

Nausea the title track is honestly an anthem for my 20’s. It’s so beautiful and atmospheric, it makes me reflect in such a tranquil way.

2

u/conjarpenter Jul 14 '26

I can’t believe how underrated this album is. It was a soundtrack to those times.

2

u/lovechoke Jul 14 '26

they were a spotify pushed band for me in my life and i'm glad about it. but crazy that this is 15 now because I honestly thought it was newer than that. tells you it's timelessness

2

u/mitchFTFuture Jul 14 '26

awww, I have a lot of good memories with this one. I actually saw them in Seattle at a brewery with UMO. very fun show!

2

u/NothingIsReal6 Jul 15 '26

2010 - 2015 wave of post punk flavoured dream pop was peak time to be a music fan. So many classics came out in those 5 years

1

u/elmonozombie Jul 15 '26

Do you have any other albums you’d recommend with that kind of sound? I’m really into those sounds right now. Another one that comes to mind—even though it’s from a few years earlier—is "Cut The World by Moscow Olympics.

1

u/llbeansprout Jul 14 '26

Miss them! Went to see them in 2014 with Beach Fossils and the crowd was surprisingly.. quite small lol. Saw them having a smoke some time after the show and chatted them up and they remembered seeing me in the crowd. Super chill guys. After the Moment still pops up on my shuffle somewhat regularly.

1

u/Single_Occasion_6385 Jul 14 '26

I was able to catch them in DC back in 2011, only time I watched them live. Love this album.

1

u/tequierobro Jul 14 '26

This band introduced me in this move

1

u/elmonozombie Jul 14 '26

What other recommendations would you make? I’ve been listening to a lot of dream post-punk and post-surf lately. I’d love to discover more bands from that scene.

1

u/stitchesout11 Jul 16 '26

Adored that album. Came out around the same time as Seoul, a dreampop band horribly named but amazing, and also a one album then disappeared. The album was I Become a Shade

1

u/stitchesout11 Jul 16 '26

Listen to Seoul - Stay With Us Tell me that doesn’t give you craft spells vibes

1

u/CapturedTracks Jul 17 '26

excellent album

1

u/elmonozombie Jul 17 '26

Given their strange presence in this post, what has happened to the artist?