IVY is Back

When a band reunites after a long hiatus, it’s more than just playing old hits; it’s an act of resurrection. For the dream-pop group Ivy, this reconnection—catalyzed by the release of their new album Traces of You”>Traces of You—was steeped in nostalgia, grief, and a delightful sense of artistic rediscovery.

Singer Dominique Durand faced her first major hurdle: stage fright. Having spent years away from the spotlight, she anticipated pain returning, but as she prepared to perform with Ivy, that fear dissolved. She found herself realizing that after all these years, she was a totally different person, unbound by past anxieties.

“Stage fright is over. It’s gone,” Durand shared. “I’ve been trying to understand why, and I do think it’s age and time… I don’t care about anything anymore, but in a good way.”

The new album Traces of You”>Traces of You was born from a treasure trove of forgotten material. It pulled songs, sketches, and jam sessions that featured the late band member Adam Schlesinger, whose passing in 2020 left a profound void in the group. The record’s ten tracks were built from the deepest recesses of Ivy’s archives.

To bring this forgotten history back to life, the band embarked on an ambitious project that involved digging deep into their recording library. They found not just familiar tunes, but unearthed recordings dating back decades—some as old as thirty years—that prompted them to ask, “Why didn’t we finish this?”

This archival dive brought in collaborators like Bruce Driscoll, who helped weave the rediscovered tracks into new compositions. Driscoll saw potential where others might have seen abandoned ideas, recognizing that even rejected elements held the seed of greatness. Working with him, Ivy found a way back to their original sound, striking a balance between dreamy atmosphere and organic songwriting.

The resulting album perfectly captured their evolving spirit: warm and slinky on tracks like Mystery Girl”>Mystery Girl, balanced by wistful melodies like the closing track, Hate That It’s True>, which reflected a gentle acceptance of memory.

Beyond the music, the reunion offered an opportunity for personal reflection. The process of rebuilding Ivy also touched upon the complex history between members, particularly Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger. Their dynamic, marked by intense creative partnership and eventual personal upheaval, provided rich context for the group’s enduring legacy.

Ultimately, the journey underscored a powerful truth about art and connection: musicians are like humans. As Durand noted, “Songs are like humans… It’s chemistry.” The ability to work together, to channel shared history and emotion, proved that even amidst loss, there is immense energy left to create something beautiful.

Ivy continues to find inspiration in this renewed connection, continuing to explore the legacy of their past while looking toward new possibilities. There is a palpable sense that they are not just celebrating a reunion, but actively forging a future, finding joy in the process of making music again.