‘It’s been such a journey’: Halifax duo Neon Dreams celebrates 10 years of music

Musical act Neon Dreams is celebrating a decade of music with a new album and several shows.

A decade after first making waves in the Canadian music scene, Neon Dreams is back home in Halifax to celebrate.

“It feels like we’ve matured into the role we take on with our music,” Kadillac told CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly. “Looking back, I’m just really happy with where we are now.”

The duo – made up of vocalist Frank Kadillac and drummer Adrian Morris – is marking the milestone with the upcoming release of a stripped-down acoustic album titled “10 Years.”

“We’ve been recording some of our favorite songs over the past ten years acoustically, including all the way back to our first demo project from 2015,” said Morris. “So, you kind of get a little bit of every year of the band.”

Known for their energetic live shows and genre-defying sound that blends pop, rock, hip-hop and EDM, Neon Dreams first rose to fame with hits like “Marching Bands” and “High School Dropout.” In 2020, they won the Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year.

“It’s been such a journey,” said Morris. “We’ve played big stages around the world, but there’s nothing like coming home.”

Neon Dreams is performing back-to-back shows at the Carleton in Halifax, N.S., this weekend. They also have a special 10-year anniversary show planned at the Shore Club in Hubbards, N.S., on July 18.

“We’re going to play a bunch of songs throughout the years, and we’ve got a couple of surprises,” said Morris. “You might see the original four on stage again. One night only.”

When asked what they’re looking forward to over the next 10 years?

“One of the kids the other day asked, ‘What’s your dreams?’” said Kadillac. “I was like, to keep doing this, to go as many places as possible, spread a lot of love.”