In Berlin-based recording artist Laura Carbone’s body of recorded work, she has never shied away from excavating and shining a light on the conflicting peaks and valleys of romantic love, even to the point of personal discomfort. This rare trait embodies an emotional authenticity shared yesterday and today by only a select few artists with the boldness to dig deep and the special gift of speaking both to and for us in expressing what they’ve found. Chief among them is arguably the inimitable Roy Orbison.

Craig Dyer from The Underground Youth is another such soul-miner, exploring and exposing the depths of the human “id” since forming his groundbreaking band in Manchester in 2008. TUY has released 10 albums since then, and toured the globe from New York to Shanghai establishing a bulletproof reputation as one of the premier psyche/noise purveyors of our time. When the band resettled in Berlin in 2016, their shared musical affinities and penchant for the same late-night haunts made it inevitable that Craig and Laura would meet. When they did, they discovered a shared love of darker-tinged romantic pop songs from across the ages, the foundation that would eventually lead to the collaboration behind this EP.

The record shines with its bittersweet blend of a reserved musical background that leaves space for Craig’s earthy voice and Laura’s soaring, ethereal vocals to connect, embrace and unravel again. The four Orbison songs here were chosen to chart the age-old narrative of falling in and out of love and the deep longing for romance and connection we all feel.

The “In Dreams” EP is itself a dream-come-true for these two pioneering artists. This well of cool water dug in an enforced creative drought is a worthy and heartfelt homage to loved ones past and present, and to another towering pioneer whose musical legacy still looms large today, as relevant and armor-piercing as ever.