Hailing from New Brighton -- a seaside suburb of Wallasey, Merseyside, U.K. -- the Dream Machine formed in 2021 as an indie rock quartet, drawing on dark drama and magpie-like psychedelia. The precocious talent of their lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Zak McDonnell was the result of a childhood spent observing his father David's involvement in the critically acclaimed indie folk act the Sand Band. The Dream Machine's debut EP, Vol. 1: Sacraments, was released by Run On just months after they were formed. A second volume, the nautically themed On the Water, followed later in 2021, while an eccentric third EP -- Vol. 3: Pooch Slingers' Wild Round-Up! -- appeared the following year. Although it was eventually unleashed in early 2023, their debut album, Thank God! It's the Dream Machine…, was recorded during late 2021 on 8-track at their rehearsal studio.