Dean Ford - Dream Fever [EP]

Dean Ford is a pop-rock frontman and bandleader in the classic sense, oozing with charisma and panache on stage, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter in the studio. As comfortable applying eye-liner as punching in a late-song guitar lead to get the single just right.

His latest EP, “Dream Fever,” is full of rave-ups and dance hits co-written with Bleu (aka William James McAuley III), a studio wizard and songwriting partner to the likes of Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Jonas Brothers. While the vibe of early single “VHS” speaks to the ’80s revival helmed by pop-culture hits like “Stranger Things” and artists like the Weeknd, Kavinsky, DJ_Dave, and Mitski, these tunes are less throwbacks and more looks forward to the fluid ways people find and consume music in the streaming era.

More than ever, music must sound timeless, and Ford’s latest — just like previous releases “CTRL” and “Get Messy” — is the kind of classic sound that makes a Bowie tune from the ‘70s or a Prince track from the ’80s sound like it could have been released just yesterday.