Members of Canadian death metal powerhouse Tomb Mold are taking another step away from their crushing roots with the release of Hard To Destroy, the latest single from their melodic side project Daydream Plus. The track arrives ahead of the band’s debut full-length album, Second Last Day of Summer, due for release on 10th July via Run For Cover Records.
Daydream Plus
Accompanying the new single is a special Live At The Gymnasium Session, featuring performances of all three album singles in an appropriately nostalgic setting that perfectly complements the band’s warm, carefree aesthetic.
For fans expecting another dose of Tomb Mold’s technically devastating death metal, Daydream Plus continues to chart an entirely different course. Where Tomb Mold thrives on sonic extremity, Daydream Plus embraces shimmering melodies, infectious hooks and instrumental storytelling, blending elements of math rock, city pop, jazz fusion, ’90s emo and classic video game soundtracks into something uniquely uplifting.
Led by Tomb Mold guitarist Payson Power, alongside drummer Max Klebanoff and bassist Kevin Sia, the trio formed Daydream Plus in 2020 as a creative outlet for exploring the brighter side of their musical influences. Across two EPs they steadily refined their sound, but Second Last Day of Summer represents the project’s most ambitious statement to date.
New single Hard To Destroy perfectly encapsulates that evolution. Hyperactive guitar lines collide with shimmering chord progressions, intricate rhythmic shifts and even bursts of blast beats, somehow resulting in one of the album’s most accessible and infectious moments. It’s technically dazzling without ever losing sight of melody—a balance that has become central to the band’s identity.
Speaking about the song, Power explained that the original version was considerably more complex before he consciously stripped it back. “One of the things that helped me keep from going overboard in the midst of writing the record was listening to a soundtrack like Mega Man 2 and realising the hooks are often four notes. Those familiar compositions are a reminder that melody is paramount over technicality.”
That philosophy runs throughout Second Last Day of Summer, a tightly constructed 30-minute instrumental journey inspired by the bittersweet feeling of the final carefree days before summer ends. Rather than focusing on virtuosity for its own sake, the record prioritises atmosphere, nostalgia and storytelling, creating what feels less like a traditional album and more like the soundtrack to an imagined coming-of-age video game.
Recorded by Darren McGill at Toronto’s Union Sound Studios before being mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk, the album also features an impressive list of guest musicians. Steve Lamos (American Football) contributes trumpet, Joseph Shabason (Destroyer, The War on Drugs) adds saxophone, while Ryo Kishimoto (Fox Capture Plan) lends electric piano, each adding further colour to the album’s richly layered arrangements.
Power describes the overall goal in wonderfully simple terms. “I just wanted the album to feel like opening a can of pop on an above-average day.”
It’s an apt description. Despite the band’s extraordinary musicianship, Second Last Day of Summer never feels self-indulgent. Instead, it radiates warmth and optimism, evoking long afternoons spent with friends, late-night gaming sessions and the fleeting magic of childhood summers before responsibility inevitably arrives.
The band’s fascination with gaming culture extends beyond the music itself. In one of the year’s most inventive physical releases, Daydream Plus have partnered with Batlab Electronics to produce Extended Forecast, an exclusive chiptune reinterpretation of the album available on a fully functional, NES-compatible cartridge. It’s a fitting companion piece for a record that wears its love of classic gaming soundtracks proudly on its sleeve.
While Daydream Plus may have begun as an experimental outlet away from Tomb Mold’s heavier catalogue, Second Last Day of Summer proves the trio have evolved into something far more substantial—a fully realised project with its own distinct identity and a refreshingly joyful take on technically accomplished instrumental music.
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