In 2017, the Dream Syndicate, one of the leading lights of LA’s neo-psychedelic Paisley Underground scene, returned with Did I Find Myself Here?, their first new album since 1988’s Ghost Stories. Earlier this year, they contributed to the Paisley Underground covers compilation 3 x 4: The Bangles, The Three O’Clock, The Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, and now, they’re coming back again with a new full-length. These Times, their second LP since reuniting in 2012, will be out in May, and according to frontman Steve Wynn, it was inspired in part of J Dilla: When I was writing the songs for the new album I was pretty obsessed with Donuts by J Dilla. I loved the way that he approached record making as a DJ, a crate-digger, a music fan wanting to lay out all of his favorite music, twist and turn the results until he made them into his own. I was messing around with step sequencers, drum machines, loops — anything to take me out of my usual way of writing and try to feel as though I was working on a compilation rather than ‘more of the same.’ You might not automatically put the Dream Syndicate and J Dilla in the same sentence, but I hear that album when I hear our new one
