If there’s one venue in Sacramento where you should see a local band for the first time, Café Colonial is it, and seeing DREAM 99 there was no exception. Honestly, I’d only seen their name pop up here and there on bills alongside other impressive bands like Glixen, Ringo Deathstarr, Welcome Strawberry, and SRSQ (formerly of Them Are Us Too). DREAM 99 has apparently only been on the scene for about two years, but they’ve already made quite a splash. They released a sick EP, LEARN 2 FEEL, in 2024, followed by a new single, ENDLESSLY, in 2025. That puts them at maybe six songs total, but every one of them is solid. For older peeps like me, their sound feels like a fresh take on the era of bands like HUM, My Bloody Valentine, Sunny Day Real Estate, and former local favorites FAR.
Their music instantly takes me back to a time when disposable cameras were how I documented my life, my friends paged their weed dealer, and weekends meant getting absolutely hammered in San Francisco with my sister while wandering Haight Street looking for shops that sold glass bongs and pipes (please don’t tell my mama I used to do all this stuff).
My favorite song on the EP is “Open Coma -^- -” It’s built around simple, short lyrics and features swirling, distorted guitars, dynamic highs and lows, and a catchy little lead guitar line. The drums give the song real punch, driving it forward alongside a deep-toned bass. Another standout detail on the EP is the creative transitions between songs, especially the short clip of the iconic instrumental “Sleepwalk” by Santo & Johnny, which appears at the end of “Coma -^- -.” It’s like getting a piece of candy after an already great song, LOL.
In any case, DREAM 99 should probably be your new favorite local band. And if they already are, you’re doing better than me, it took me two years to finally see them live. While I was at the show, one spectator felt incredibly compelled to tell me their set was life-changing. They went on to say how funny Sacramento is: there are so many genres and little pockets of scenes, and people are often surprised to learn that bands as good as DREAM 99 are coming out of our little city.
I’ll never stop saying that Sacramento is full of hidden gems. All you have to do is check venue flyers and actually listen to the music on Bandcamp (because f*ck Spotify). You’ll quickly find that DREAM 99 joins a long list of other solid bands with similar vibes including: Quinine, MRS, Blous3, Aphids As Lovers, Slugfest, Mastoids, My Pet Fossil, and many more I’m probably forgetting right now (sorry). Just go check them out. BYE!
Sac.Indie.Music 