Another quality piece of songwriting from The Birthday Letters, “My Dream Novel (Magical Realism)” ponders reality and imagination amidst a charming production — pairing shimmering acoustic strums and playful, bouncy bass.

“When there’s rats under my floorboards, and poison by the sink,” Joseph Hughes’ vocals let as the mix moves into a more acoustic-set sparseness, then bolstered by gorgeous easing-in of strings as the optimistic “I haven’t heard that scratching, for a week, at least” acknowledgement. Changing futures, wasted potential, and “writing my dream novel” aspirations follow, with piano adornments bolstering the melodic mix — combining with artful lyricism, framing the subconscious as a sanatorium of the mind, where the narrator writes a dream novel to bridge the gap between decaying reality and the fleeting potential of the past.

“My Dream Novel (Magical Realism)” represents the latest standout from the project of Joseph Hughes, a singer and songwriter from England now living in Vilnius, Lithuania. Past featured releases include his sophomore album Yearning For Vitalists and 2025 single “This Magic Time.”

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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.

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