Dream Pictures

Description

Dream Pictures was written for the quiet hours that end each day. At night, after putting his children to bed, he would go to his garage to write, play guitar, paint, and escape the world for a while. It was during these moments of solitude at the end of the day that Combs wrote the 12 songs that would become Dream Pictures. Combs co-produced the album with drummer Dom Billett. The two musicians began touring together in 2017, and their friendship is almost audible throughout the record. With the exception of instrumentalist Spencer Cullum, who contributed on pedal steel, Dream Pictures was entirely recorded and performed by Combs and Billett. The two embraced all the imperfections that came with the homemade recording process, balancing the rawness of the recording with the finesse of Combs' writing. They even captured Combs' voice with a series of studio performances, resisting the temptation to edit different takes together for a more polished product. "This record is about contentment: being comfortable with who I am and where I am in my life and career," Combs explains. "It's me sitting down at the end of each day and finding something inspiring and embellishing it. I don't think many of these songs could have come if I were in turmoil. I think it fits the album title, as being comfortable with who I am allows my imagination to run free and gives me the ability to dream."