Unless you’re living under a rock, a band called Feels Like Heaven dropped an AOTY contender back on New Year’s Day. Crazy, right?
Released through Scheme Records, Within Dreams defies what a hardcore record can sound like, with its elegant versatility. You can hear slow, poppier songs such as “Sandra Bullock” and heartfelt, catchier tunes like “Volvo” or “Snow Dunes,” but it all still feels like a hardcore record. Seeing them play alongside heavier bands like No Saving Grace or newcomers xSerenityx doesn’t sound crazy, since Feels Like Heaven's musical approach has that same hardcore spirit and essence.
Within Dreams has done a lot for the band, taking them to mainland Europe, the UK, and even Southeast Asia in less than 10 months. A strong work ethic and road-warrior mentality have pushed the band so far in such a short time.
I reached out to Feels Like Heaven vocalist Emanuel Wildung to talk about Within Dreams and how the hell they managed to pack so much into 2026.
For people not yet familiar with Feels Like Heaven, who’s in the band, how long have you been together, and what other bands have the members played in?
Hey, thanks for having us! I think Feels Like Heaven is our way of expressing things we can’t elsewhere. More practically, we are a band that started in 2021. We’re a group of friends—Adam, Anton, Elias, Emanuel, and Jens—who have played in a bunch of different bands together over the years, like Blood Sermon, Speedway, Existence, Give Today, etc.
The band’s name has always stood out on my playlists. What is its origin story?
Originally, our guitar player Jens came up with the name for another project we had, but that never came to fruition. When we started this band, we felt that the name would fit this project. I guess it comes from the Fiction Factory song, but it has come to symbolize many different things for us. [Laughs] Today it means watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
So, 2026 has been a pretty busy year — if not the busiest — for FLH. First LP, an actual European tour, a Southeast Asia tour... How do you guys feel about accomplishing so much within a year?
To be honest, I feel pretty impressed by us [laughs]. We have always been a rather slow-working band, so doing this much in a year is big for us.
I really appreciate everyone who helped us out in making it happen. It has been difficult figuring out the balance between touring and keeping our jobs and personal lives, but we’re still here, so I guess something worked out.
Let’s dive a bit into Within Dreams. It was a slow burn for me, but I can say it’s my AOTY so far. You can hear an evolution from your previous EP — “Runaway Dogs” is such a banger. What was the recording process like?
I appreciate it. Some of the songs were written a couple of years before the recording process started, and some songs were written shortly before. Our biggest goal was to expand on our previous sound, so that is something we had in the back of our minds the entire time.
We recorded the album at Kapsylen Studios and SBH HQ in Stockholm, Sweden. It was a fun session during peak season for the Swedish pastry semla.
What makes Within Dreams such a great record is its versatility. What were you guys listening to leading up to recording it, and what was your aim for the LP’s sound?
We have always been a band that takes inspiration from all over. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact direction. I think this type of music just comes naturally to us. We love melodies. I’d say our aim was just to end up with a record we feel like we could stand behind.
For me personally, I think I listened to The Hated and Kent a lot during the making of the album. I think you can hear it in the details if you listen hard. I was also very influenced by the death of my grandfather, who played a big part in my life. Big events like that can unfortunately make you very creative.
As for the live shows, I got to see you at Word of Mouth this year and had such a good time. After that came Europe. What was your experience out there? How was the reception?
To see that people that far from our hometown knew the songs and sang along has been very special for us. People come up to us and tell us about their experiences with our songs, which is really cool.
I feel like when we release a song, it’s not our song anymore. I want the songs to become the listeners’ songs. What I felt when I wrote the lyrics will not be the same for the listener, which I think is a beautiful thing about music.
And after that... Southeast Asia. How did they respond to the shows?
Having people singing along on the other side of the world is truly mind-blowing. Hardcore is a shared medium, and getting to share it with people around the world is such a cool thing to be able to do. Hong Kong was a real standout show, being in a venue 10 floors up in an industrial area.
Something I find cool is that you guys decided to go with no social media, just the Substack letter every now and then. How did that come to be?
We just weren’t bothered with it originally. I think it has become more of an ideology, or whatever, over time. I feel like being obsessed with followers and content takes away the focus from the music. The only thing important is the music, and I feel like a lot of bands don’t believe in that.
Obviously, we feel the limitations of not getting the same reach as we could have, but at the same time, we have already been able to make it all over Europe and Southeast Asia without social media. So I guess some people believe in the power of music. But who knows, maybe we will become a content band someday and start selling our souls. Nothing is impossible.
What’s next for you guys? Where are you aiming to play in 2027?
Now that we have been around Europe, we want to go back and meet all the people again. We had great shows out there, but they are bound to get even better if we keep playing these places. Of course, the same goes for Asia, but it’s not as plausible for next year since it’s very expensive.
Hopefully, we can make it out to some new places too. Personally, I want to go to South America. Either way, we will definitely be on the road again. We are working on it right now. If you are reading this, where do you want us to play?
Any parting words?
Take care of your friends and family and listen to Supertouch.
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Within Dreams is available on vinyl and CD in the US via Scheme Records. If you need vinyl in the UK, Devil Dog Distro have you covered, and the rest of Europe is handled by Merchpit.
Tagged: feels like heaven
