Have you been to any shows across Massachusetts’ DIY hardcore scene over these past two years? It’s been a remarkable thing to behold raging back to life, as it’s not just Boston getting the best of them anymore. There’s VFW halls and bars in Westfield and Florence out in its western half, diners and dive bars central to Worcester, and spots north and south of Beantown putting on absolute killer lineups. Perhaps you even caught one of those smaller venue shows Fleshwater did last winter ahead of their massive tour with Deftones, in which case you might already be familiar with the very promising heavy genre crush that is Dream Fatigue.

Hailing from the bewitched capital of Massachusetts of Salem, the band was formed by former Vein.fm and Fleshwater drummer Matt Wood, adjacencies to his past but also their fast evolving future are fully on blast with “Be Your Anchor”, their first single since signing with Connecticut hardcore visionaries, DAZE. If it’s predecessor to whatever is coming next from the band, it’s a resounding acceleration from the promising heavy-gaze of their 2024 EP, the lady in the sky, with vocalist and poet Jonali McFadden spellbinding affirmations with an emo-pop grandiosity that’s backed by a muscular backbone withholding a ton in self-help empowerment in just two-minutes time. That’s not you feeling whelmed when it’s over. That’s Dream Fatigue leaving you feeling firmly grounding in your own.

Dream Fatigue’s “Be Your Anchor” single is available now on DAZE.