Credit: Major Recordings
Are We Dreaming?
[By: PEEKABOO]
Genre: UK dubstep
Rating: 70
Cohesiveness: 58
Track quality: 72
Beginner-friendly? the basslines are punchy but not unpalatable
Written 2026/03/10
A veteran of left-field bass, PEEKABOO's deep sounds have steadily been on the rise as of late. And though Are We Dreaming? is far from left-field, it packs a punch nonetheless.
Are We Dreaming? leans on a distinguishably UK-flavoured sound. It comes packaged with minimal growls and robust basslines, arrogant kick-snares and fiery percussive barrages, thumping rhythms and catchy samplework, and all the other bells and whistles that come with this warehouse-esque style; even a couple of grime performances from P Money and Scrufizzer. It's the brainchild of bass music engineer PEEKABOO, whose murky soundscapes rest upon shadowed synth fuselage like the rumbling of a factory conveyer belt, steadily moving its goods even through the filth that surrounds it.
Underneath the conveyer belt grinds cogs that begin to turn from the album's onset. Punchy dubstep drums kick up acidic, highly technical stabs, or tense flow that cracks like a whip. Though the scenery around the belt is consistently grim, it changes nevertheless - perhaps the sonorant lead of "6 Million" or the fast-paced garage bounce of "Party Time", or even the bright wave of the finale "No City Like Mine" with XAELO's optimistic pop-rap overlaying it - veiled by rhythms that pulsate slowly, stomping stolidly. PEEKABOO mines impact from minimality. There's no turbulent sound design or bustling mixes or synthesizer overstimulation. There's no bright white floodlights or neon-infested colour scrambles. Everything on Are We Dreaming? is deep and lurking, save for a couple of cuts that jut out of the reverberations.
Are We Dreaming?, then, is a monolithic album. This plays to its strengths - it sounds, holistically, very stylised. Each track makes sense besides its neighbours, with practically no tonal whiplash even accounting for any and all switchups.
This also, perhaps, plays to its weaknesses. A conveyer belt is reliable and consistent, but after a time it gets a little old; PEEKABOO's growls and dubstep wobbles happen upon the same fate. They feel striking and new through "Yeke Yeke" and "Want It", but by the time the second half of the project sidles in, tracks like "Loco" and "Pump It Up" rely on the same tried and tested, and exhausted, formula. That's not to say it's a bad formula - more so that it's very difficult to predicate 13 tracks on it. Sometimes the switchups don't quite land, either, namely the closer "No City Like Mine" that inexplicably deviates from its bouncy garage predrops into a somewhat directionless wave-leaning climax.
What gold we do get is truly gold, though. "Answer All My Prayers" is easily one of the most rip-roaring cuts bass music has bothered to chuck up in years, and a couple of the other singles can really hold their own. It doesn't seem quite right to say that Are We Dreaming? is an album of singles - that would be tarnishing its obvious stylistic identity - but PEEKABOO's sophomore album has not breached the containers of the rave, and has not flourished yet into its own identity.
Listen on Spotify here.
Yeke Yeke [Intense] | (/100)
The vocals are well-done - unsure as to what language it is - and PEEKABOO's driving production is powerful and rhythmic. The two don't quite slot together, though - even if the flow somewhat matches, it feels like there's some discrepancy between the two.
Old School [Standout] | (/100)
w/ Badklaat, P Money
Deep, lurking beat consistently punctuates P Money's grime performance with a filthy atmosphere. It's a little repetitive and a little similar to "Yeke Yeke", but P Money's performance is what makes "Old School" a strong track, both rhythmically and lyrically, harking back to the 'golden age' of rave culture.
Want It [Intense] | (/100)
w/ borne
"Want It" has a flow that's inexplicably addictive, with borne contributing his own deep dubstep sound. This track is packed with looming subs and a heavy-handed lead, with a repeating vocal sample and a wobblier switch for the second drop to round it off nicely.
Seance [Switchup] | (/100)
PEEKABOO goes for a very different approach with "Seance", having had his fun with deep dubstep in the previous four. Now, the percussion-driven drops take over, with strong metallic bass hits contributing, as well as some neat songwriting to build tension.
After Party [Intense] | (/100)
w/ Scrufizzer
Scrufizzer's rap is immediately recognisable, even if it doesn't particularly make a dent in the track. What does make a dent, though, is the completely overblown bassline that rips through the soundscape - even if the mix is very harsh, its manner of explosion feels so aptly aggressive, with Scrufizzer's rap really being brought forward in the second half.
Are We Dreaming? [Atmospheric] | (/100)
The extended ambient intro gives this title track a bizarrely eerie feeling, one that continues into the drops, especially with the repeating vocal sample of "are we dreaming?". The progression is very well-done, as is the atmosphere, but it drags on.
6 Million [Standout] | (/100)
w/ Skrillex, Flowdan, Fireboy DML
A big collaboration was perhaps wasted on such a short track, but "6 Million" is a strong one nevertheless. The percussion is great, with the track feeling super rhythmic by its constant juggling between vocal and production. The vocals are great too, between Flowdan's grime one and Fireboy DML's more melodic one.
Open Up [Heavy] | (/100)
Kicking off with a fairly dance-oriented intro, PEEKABOO opens this one up viciously into a belligerent, nasty drop. His murky basslines and abrasive sound design rip up the center stage, relishing their time in the spotlight even whilst dictated by strong rhythm and percussion.
Pump It Up [Intense] | (/100)
w/ Flava D, Scrufizzer
Scrufizzer's grime vocal is good here, but it doesn't quite match his performance off the back of "After Party". The wobbly production from PEEKABOO and Flava D is enjoyable enough, but it feels repetitive and doesn't throw up any new ideas through its runtime.
Party Time [Switchup] | (/100)
The swap to garage on "Party Time" is actually a very refreshing choice, and the pre-drops are super impactful, with the vocal sample helping. It's held back, though, by the drops, that try to hit a bassy, powerful rhythm, but end up feeling a little too minimal and empty.
Loco [Intense] | (/100)
w/ Sully
"Loco" feels very engaged, with a tight mix and a couple of strong basses. But, between the repetitive vocal sample and the constant wobbly backing, it also feels a little tiring, particularly this late in the album. The techno drop is far too empty to contribute anything.
Answer All My Prayers [Standout] | (/100)
w/ Nitepunk, LYNY, SAYAK DAS, Nick Smith
One of the biggest collabs on this album yields one of the biggest tracks. SAYAK DAS' vocal is nothing crazy, but then the three producers on "Answer All My Prayers" thunder in with a drop of immense magnitude, slamming down percussion and heavy-handed basslines in both its movements, with Nick Smith pitching in a very strong accompanying vocal too.
No City Like Mine [Melodic] | (/100)
w/ XAELO
Ending this tracklist on a future garage note is a fantastic idea. "No City Like Mine" opens with just that, and XAELO's hopeful pop-rap vocal complements it well. It honestly feels like a shame that this track randomly switches into a trap/wave drop, and whilst the high-pitched synth lead is interesting, the attempted switchup feels like it missed the mark.
- Answer All My Prayers w/ Nitepunk, LYNY, SAYAK DAS, Nick Smith (/100)
- Open Up (/100)
- Old School w/ Badklaat, P Money (/100)
- 6 Million w/ Skrillex, Flowdan, Fireboy DML (/100)
- After Party w/ Scrufizzer (/100)
- Want It w/ borne (/100)
- Seance (/100)
- Are We Dreaming? (/100)
- Yeke Yeke (/100)
- Party Time (/100)
- Loco w/ Sully (/100)
- Pump It Up w/ Flava D, Scrufizzer (/100)
- No City Like Mine w/ XAELO (/100)