Thee Oneironauts (from the Greek “oneiros” – meaning “to dream”) is a musical pre-quel to the band that now claims its fame as The Most Serene Republic. Written in 2003, when most of them were about 18, the album is filled not with the tales of angst and teen woes that one might expect, but of songs that tell the stories of good lives lived in nice homes in the Toronto 'burbs.

Adrian Jewett, Ryan Lenssen, and Nick Greaves have all been friends since they were kids and grew up together. Thee Oneironauts was made before the three friends, and their fouth member, Emily Hunt (who plays sax and sings back up) went off to college. The project had a muddled start when Ryan began his solo project with five tracks. Turns out that Adrian liked them so much that he wanted to do some vocals. Those tracks became the Night of the Lawn Chairs EP, which caught the attention of Adrian and Ryan’s other friend, Nick, who added in some guitars to round out the sound.

Even though The Most Serene Republic is still a young band, they’re wise beyond their years. This is a philosophy we should all aspire to; “So stop complaining about the world and make out with someone again for the first time. Grow your hair a little longer and dream of your youth, even if it was shit, dream it with us again.”

“Zoltar Speaks” (inspired by the key fortune teller machine scenes in the movie "Big") is their tremendously fun, catchy first single from the EP. The track doesn’t just show flashes of brilliance, it is entirely brilliant.

So, how do Thee Oneironauts stack up to Most Serene Republic? You can certainly see the MSR roots, but it’s a much different band. More indie pop, less indie rock. But, a great, fresh (believe it or not) sound. The 8-song EP will be available on May 24th. Be sure to check it out (links to the right)!

Pre Serene: Thee Oneironauts Track Listing:

1. Not Even Earth's Gravitational Pull Can Bring Us Down
2. Zoltar Speaks
3. St. Germain
4. The Breath
5. Everything Given To You Is Equally Taken Away
6. Clara Bow
7. Today Is The Day
8. Home Of The Rebels