Iconic Colorado-based postpunk-shoegaze oufit A Shoreline Dream release their ‘Waiting’ album, a major milestone for the band — one of Colorado’s longest-running independent music projects — arriving 20 years since their debut record ‘Avoiding the Consequences’.
‘Waiting’ looks at that history from a deeply personal perspective. Years spent writing, recording, producing, and refining their music have often meant choosing the demands of the creative process over the conventional milestones of everyday life. They consider what remains when so much of a life has been devoted to making music, and whether the work itself ultimately becomes the legacy.
Formed in 2005 and based in Barnum, Colorado, A Shoreline Dream is now a duo of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ryan Policky and guitarist Erik Jeffries. For just over two decades, Policky and Jeffries have built a catalog approaching 120 released tracks while developing a sound rooted in shoegaze, psychedelia, post-punk, and expansive guitar-driven experimentation.
“Waiting is what we all do. Waiting for something to happen. Waiting for people to enter and exit our lives. Waiting to see where society will go. In a positive direction or down the tubes. Waiting to see if what we have put our personal efforts into was worth all the time. Since a human life is so short, it becomes the one thing we do the most of,” says Ryan Policky.
“I have pondered this since I was a child, and especially in the 20 year life of A Shoreline Dream. Instead of constantly waiting, as I did in the past, I am instead… accelerating, and I think as we all age, that becomes the case for most of us. We want to secure our legacy. Give ourselves purpose. Look towards a brighter tomorrow.”
2026 is a prolific period for A Shoreline Dream, rather than just a year of reflection. In February, they released the album ‘To Where They Have Gone’, involving Ride frontman Mark Gardener. Through A Shoreline Dream’s partnership with Shameless Promotion PR, their collaboration with Gardener has lasted the past half-decade, including three tracks and videos on the ‘Whitelined’ album.
“This album has become an opportunity to not let situations or people dictate personal progress. Not letting a truly broken society break me. Instead, taking those now longer moments of waiting, and turning them into art. Turning them into music. Music that explodes with emotion and tells the story as it is written. Not letting ego or arrogance drive the narrative. Being true to reality, and to the music that has been created that explains it,” explains Ryan Policky.
“It’s been a blessing to have the time to make two albums happen in one year, and I thank every moment for letting this happen. ‘Waiting’ has been worth all the time, and I hope the fans love what we’ve created, and take this very moment to do everything they love doing, with the people they love doing it with…. hopefully listening to these tracks along the way.”
Previewed by the singles ‘Legacy’ and ’20’, ASD reflects upon the road taken while considering the path ahead, The video for ’20’, starring Julianna Beckert, is a literal hazed-out dream of all the waiting for something or someone to happen. Lost in ups and downs. Emotional states. The visual you were waiting for arrives and it really wasn’t there to begin with — a literal head-on confrontation with time, uncertainty, sacrifice, and the weight of devoting so much of one’s life to music.
“The video captures the emotions ready to burst out of any of us at any moment, whether they take place in our dreams or in reality. That dream we search for, which is, for most, a simple desire of having a partner who we can relate to, love, respect and spend our days with, is one of the hardest things to acquire. Julianna is the best I know of conveying emotion and was a perfect fit for the vibe. We made sure, as always, to record the spots we love now but know will be gone forever soon, such as the 8th street bridge, where she traverses along the way through the video,” says Ryan Policky.
‘Waiting’ is a marker of where A Shoreline Dream stands now. Maintaining a creative partnership through changing musical landscapes and an evolving industry, their journey has been full of rewarding achievements. They have worked extensively with Ulrich Schnauss and has also collaborated with members of Engineers, Chapterhouse, Rocket Girl Records, and mastering engineer Mark Kramer (Urge Overkill, Bongwater, Shimmy Records).
On October 16th, ‘Waiting’ is out across digital music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, released via Latenight Weeknight Records.
TRACK LIST
1 . 20
2 . Always in Dreams
3 . Legacy
4 . In the Clouds
5 . Triggered
6 . Bleed & Reject
7 . Open My…
8 . Dwell on Dwell on
9 . Don’t Fall Light
CREDITS
Performed by A Shoreline Dream
All songs written by Ryan Policky,
except “Open My…” co-written by Ryan Policky & Erik Jeffries
Vocals and all instruments performed by Ryan Policky,
except guitar by Erik Jeffries on ‘Open My…’, ‘Dwell on Dwell On’ & ‘Legacy’
Produced by Ryan Policky
Recorded, mixed & mastered by Ryan Policky
Distributed by The Orchard
Copyright Latenight Weeknight Records, LLC
Cover art and photography by Ryan Policky
‘20’ video shot & directed by Ryan Policky
Filmed in Denver / Barnum Colorado
Starring Julianna Beckert
Band photos by Ryan Policky
Publicity by Shauna McLarnon for Shameless Promotion PR
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