Brooklyn-based psych/pop trio Dreamers hit up Chattanooga on spring tour

Considering their name implies a carefree, happy-go-lucky attitude, the presence of an official manifesto seems strikingly out of place on the website of Brooklyn-based pop/punk band Dreamers.

Yet there it sits, perched atop a page otherwise filled with pictures of cats and low-fi images animated to move erratically while flickering through psychedelic sequences of colors.

"We are impractical," the manifesto begins. "We do not listen to those that doubt us. We push the boundaries. We believe that nothing is impossible. We rewrite the rules. We create. We are boundless. We are enchanted. We are asleep to the waking world. We are DREAMERS."

Lead singer Nick Wold says the manifesto was something he felt compelled to draft to reflect the band's belief in the power of art, especially music, to shape people's lives and inspire them.

"It's about thinking about life and how to live, the kinds of things that people don't think about when they're at work or doing whatever we do," Wold says. "I always felt growing up that great music taught me about how to be a person and that artists were the people who could think and dream and discover how to live a better life and what it's all about. That's what we would hope to be."

Founded in Brooklyn and now based in Los Angeles, Dreamers delivers its philosophically charged music through the lens of psychedelic- and punk-laced alternative pop rife with synth and melodic hooks.

Wold co-founded Dreamers with his best friend, drummer Chris Bagamery, later adding in bassist Nelson - just Nelson. After Bagamery decided he didn't want to continue with the band leading up to the West Coast relocation, Dreamers conscripted Los Angeles stickman Jacob Wick, who came on board just in time for the band's first headlining tour earlier this year alongside Ontario-based alt-rockers Arkells.

Dreamers' prospects have been on a steady climb in the last two years thanks to high-profile, one-off appearances alongside bands like Walk the Moon and The Vaccines and extended supporting duties for Stone Temple Pilots. Those collaborations raised the band's profile nationally, earning the attention of media outlets such as Interview Magazine, Stereogum, Paper Magazine and Spin.

The band is embarking on a new five-week campaign with fellow Fairfax Recording label mates The Young Wild. That tour will bring the West Coast transplants to Chattanooga on Friday, May 13, for a headlining show at JJ's Bohemia.

Despite their increasingly high-profile resume, Wold says it's surprisingly easy for them to stay grounded and continue to see the value in playing places like JJ's, where standing room is at a premium and the distance between them and the audience is practically nonexistent.

"We're into punk rock, and it kind of works well in a club as well as in a big theater. We think it's cool," Wold says. "It's fun when it's a party and it's face-to-face. We think it's better to have a 150-person room that's packed than a 500-person room that's half full. I guess until there's a line out the door and people can't get in, then we'll keep playing that size venue."

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.