Die to Wake Up from a Dream

Die to Wake Up from a Dream
Studio album by
MF Tomlinson
Released11 July 2025 (2025-07-11)
Length63:58
LabelPRAH
ProducerMF Tomlinson
MF Tomlinson chronology
We Are Still Wild Horses
(2023)
Die to Wake Up from a Dream
(2025)
Singles from Die to Wake Up from a Dream
  1. "Die to Wake Up from a Dream"
    Released: 24 March 2025

Die to Wake Up from a Dream is the studio album by London-based Australian musician MF Tomlinson.[1] It was released on 11 July 2025 via PRAH.[2]

Background

Die to Wake Up from a Dream is the third release from a trilogy by Tomlinson, composed of self-produced albums "exploring memory, hope, and the subconscious".[1] It encompasses elements of art rock and shoegaze.[3]

The title track was released as the lead single on 24 March 2025.[2] Tomlinson described it as "a treatise on resilience, hope and the frankly wildly psychedelic experience of being alive."[2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
God Is in the TV9/10[1]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[4]
Spill Magazine[3]

Ed Jupp of God Is in the TV described the album as "phenomenal" and "ultra-widescreen", noting "It's dreamlike – but then not all dreams are good ones; parts of this record are pretty nightmarish."[1] Spill's Ljubinko Zivkovic remarked, "This time around, he brings in some of the best elements of the Aussie greats that were the Go-Betweens and the Triffids."[3]

The album received a 7/10 rating from the Line of Best Fit, whose reviewer Christopher Hamilton-Peach noted it as "undeniably idiosyncratic in intention" and "torn between competing openness and oppressive pressure, with symmetry and discord revolving in a feverish subconscious world."[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Michael Tomlinson; "Blink and You'll Miss It" written with Gary Barber.

Die to Wake Up from a Dream track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Blink and You'll Miss It"4:57
2."My Hand in Yours"5:36
3."A Dream"5:59
4."Die to Wake Up from a Dream"9:22
5."Your Flight (Dying/Another Dream)" (featuring Florence Shaw)8:53
6."Dream of You"5:10
7."I'm on the Border"4:52
8."A Meadow Part I"4:44
9."A Meadow Part II"14:25
Total length:63:58

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[5]

  • MF Tomlinson – vocals, production
  • Tom Andrews – mixing (all tracks), synthesizer (track 1)
  • Guy Davie – mastering
  • Benjamin Manning – bass
  • Craig Grimshaw – drums
  • Gail Tasker – flute
  • Connie Chatwin – background vocals (1, 2), violin (7, 9)
  • Alistair Welsh – trombone (1, 5, 8), background vocals (3, 4)
  • Kayvon Nabijou – saxophone (1, 6), piano (3, 4, 7, 9)
  • Jacken Elswyth – banjo (2, 8, 9)
  • Freddie Willets – lap steel guitar (2, 8, 9)
  • Jy-Perry Banks – pedal steel guitar (2)
  • Alex MacKenzie – synthesizer (4, 7)
  • Jamie Wall – trumpet (4, 9)
  • Barnaby Slade – tuba (5, 8, 9)
  • Holly Carpenter – violin (5)
  • Florence Shaw – vocals (5)
  • Emily Connor – cello (7)
  • Michael Evans – French horn (8)

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jupp, Ed (17 July 2025). "MF Tomlinson – Die to Wake Up from a Dream (PRAH Recordings)". God Is in the TV. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Kelly, Tyler (24 March 2025). "MF Tomlinson announces new album, Die to Wake Up from a Dream". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Zivkovic, Ljubinko (11 July 2025). "Album Review: MF Tomlinson – Die to Wake Up from a Dream". Spill. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b Hamilton-Peach, Christopher (10 July 2025). "MF Tomlinson: Die to Wake Up from a Dream review – grand vision". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Die To Wake Up From a Dream / MF Tomlinson / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 6 October 2025.