Review: Daydream Plus – Second Last Day of Summer
Album art by James Moore
Style: Math rock, jazz fusion (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: CHON, Fox Capture Plan, Don Caballero, Standards, Anamanaguchi
Country: Canada
Release date: 10 July 2026
As I write this, we are in the very heart of the summer season, and by God, I wish we weren’t. The city I live in recently recorded a thermometer-cracking all-time high of 109 degrees, and I’m told it’s been even worse for the folks over in Europe1, many of whom lack our air-conditioned holes in which to flee from the day’s oven-like onslaught. I recently returned from a five-day rafting trip, on which the joys of the stunning canyon vistas and exciting rapids were somewhat hampered by the fact that every few hours under the Sun’s unflinching gaze felt like a pop quiz, one where every wrong answer would be marked in angry crimson upon my very flesh. But once, not too long ago, summer was a time of joy and freedom—a season of frozen treats, lazy afternoons on the trampoline, and complete liberation from the shackles of school.
That very sense of ephemeral bliss is exactly what Toronto instrumental math-rockers Daydream Plus are out to recapture on their full-length debut, Second Last Day of Summer. Named for that final bit of summer vacation where you can “play video games until the sun comes up”, the album sees the band themselves on a bit of a vacation from their “day jobs” with grimy prog-death purveyors Tomb Mold, swapping bludgeoning breakdowns for melodic, clean guitar hooks inspired by game and anime soundtracks. Blending the warm yet intricate twinkle of math rock with hues of jazz fusion and city pop, this is an album built from top to bottom to evoke pure, uncut summer nostalgia. Can it turn back the clock to better days, or is this Daydream more of a heatstroke-induced hallucination?
From the very first chord salvo of minute-long intro track “Tutorial”, one thing is immediately apparent: the vibes of Second Last Day of Summer are positively immaculate. Bandleader Payson Power has taken a melody-first approach to the album’s composition, aiming to replicate the energy and simplicity of vocal hooks with his guitar, and this approach pays off handsomely in some of the most ebullient, singable guitar leads I’ve heard in an instrumental album since Challenger Deep took a similar tack on last year’s very solid Point of No Return. But where that album slammed its gargantuan melodies into listeners’ eardrums at full force, Daydream Plus take a decidedly gentler approach, delivering their major-key tunes and irrepressible rhythms with a shimmering, ultra-clean tone that casually invites the listener into the liminal, orange-tinted world of summertime joy they’ve created.
While a good chunk of the songs here paint said world with a fairly similar, uptempo, “beach trip with friends” vibe (“Speed Limit”, “Stiletto Flourish”), said vibe is, put simply, fun as hell. It’s reminiscent not so much of any math-rock contemporaries as the upbeat, nostalgic chiptune of early Anamanaguchi, just played with guitars instead of NES synths2. Plus, there are numerous moments of nuance and melancholy tossed in to keep the album from becoming a one-dimensional sugar rush, from the gentle, sunset-tinted beauty of its interlude tracks to the calming 6/8 sway of “Nautical Twilight”3 to the way Ryo Kishimoto’s electric piano feature flows into “Metropolitan Mirage” with the fizzy, refreshing quality of soda over ice cubes. Taken together, Second Last Day feels like an album deeply aware that its good times are fleeting, but that they are even more special for their temporality.
Of course, even the best vibes fall apart rapidly without sufficient craftsmanship underpinning them, but Daydream Plus have built this thing to tighter specifications than a luxury catamaran. The rhythm section of Kevin Sia and Max Klebanoff are absolutely on point throughout, driving each bubbly, uptempo track with intricate, syncopated grooves that make much of the material feel “math-y” despite primarily being in straightforward 4/4 time throughout. And though the pair are perfectly capable of serving the song when Power’s guitar melodies are in the spotlight, they throw in plenty of delightfully indulgent bits, such as Sia’s bass solo in “Speed Limit” or Klebanoff’s cheeky blast beat nod to his death metal roots in “Emergency Exit”, to the point where they feel like far more than just Power’s backing band. At just over half an hour in runtime, Second Last Day is an album surgically removed of any trace of fat, without a single riff or melodic lead overstaying its welcome, and even the seemingly extraneous moments, such as the aforementioned interludes or the lengthy saxophone solo that supplants the Latin rhythms of “More Time Alone”, play a key role in ensuring that the higher-octane moments have room to breathe. Add in the clean, crisp production that gives each instrument plenty of room to shine, and it’s clear just how much intentionality and planning went into this album’s every minute detail.
In the end, though, despite its basically flawless execution, eminent replayability, and pitch-perfect vibes, there’s a certain limit to how high I can score an album like Second Last Day of Summer, and it all comes down to the simple fact that it isn’t trying to be a masterpiece. Power has stated he wanted the album to feel like “opening a can of pop on an above-average day”, and that sense of modesty and disposability says it all as to why this album falls a bit short of true greatness. Sure, there are moments of genuine genius, and as stated above there’s enough tempo variance to keep things from being too samey, but 75% of the material here is still a series of fun yet ultimately inessential instrumental rock tracks with similar energy that end up blending together after a while. This record was made as something of a sidequest, a pleasant little diversion from the death metal that made up most of the members’ musical lives, and in that regard it succeeds admirably. But part of its nature as a side project is a certain sense of insubstantiality, a lack of ambition to do anything but be a fun way to spend half an hour, and it puts a bit of a cap on the band’s ability to truly live up to their sky-high potential.
Don’t let that bit of negativity put you off Second Last Day, though—disposable or not, it’s still one of the most enjoyable instrumental rock albums I’ve heard this year, and an absolutely fitting listen for the season. Just because a summer vacation is spent lazing around instead of undergoing some grand or world-altering undertaking, doesn’t mean it wasn’t a wonderful time, one that was life-changing in its own way. In fact, as the frozen treats I enjoyed in my youth show, sometimes the simple, fleeting, throwaway pleasures in life are what make it worth living. So the next time you’re out by the pool or beach, or simply under a patio’s shade with some friends, feel free to throw on some Daydream Plus and let the positive energy shine forth… just make sure you’ve got your sunblock on.
Recommended tracks: Metropolitan Mirage, Emergency Exit, More Time Alone, Hard to Destroy
You may also like: Challenger Deep, Nuclear Power Trio, Stereosity, Wombat Supernova
Final verdict: 7.5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Instagram
Label: Run for Cover Records
Daydream Plus is:
– Payson Power (guitars)
– Kevin Sia (bass, piano)
– Max Klebanoff (drums)
With guests:
– Ryo Kishimoto (electric piano on “Metropolitan Mirage”
– Joseph Shabason (saxophone on “More Time Alone”)
– Steve Lamos (trumpet on “Nautical Twilight”)
- For whom I shall translate the aforementioned high temperature as around 42.8 Celsius. ↩︎
- This comparison is solidified by the band’s decision to release an “Extended Forecast” chiptune remix of the album, which sounds like it was pulled straight from Anamanaguchi’s Scott Pilgrim game soundtrack. ↩︎
- Featuring some heart-stirringly morose trumpet from none other than American Football‘s Steve Lamos. ↩︎
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