A hazy folk dream where sunlight and sadness quietly dance.
A kind of song that feels like a half-remembered summer — you can’t tell if you’re nostalgic for the moment itself or for the person you were back then. Old Milk Mooney’s “Dreams” sits exactly in that space, soft and luminous, like folk music caught in a breeze of light pop and faintly bittersweet rock.
“Dreams” was the second single from the duo’s LP “Darlin‘”, and it feels like the sound of Daniel Onorato quietly opening a window into his own reverie. The song drifts on calm waters — folk at its core, yet lifted by a near-weightless pop sensibility and touches of gentle alternative rock. The guitars shimmer like sun reflections on water, sometimes evoking the warmth of a Hawaiian afternoon, other times bending toward the wistful ache of a tear about to fall.
The voice at the centre of it all is that of a natural storyteller — melancholy, yes, but in the most human way possible. There’s no drama in it, just honesty. It’s the kind of voice that sounds like it’s been through a few things, and learned to find comfort in the quiet aftermath. The backing vocals echo behind it like distant memories, soft enough to blur the line between what’s real and what’s dreamt.
And that’s the trick of “Dreams” — it builds a world that never quite settles. The melody hums with familiarity, but every chord carries a tinge of yearning. It’s a song that could soundtrack both a sunrise drive and a slow evening alone. In other words, it does what the best folk songs do: it lingers.
About Old Milk Mooney:
Based in New Haven, Old Milk Mooney is the project of Daniel Onorato — a folk songwriter with a gift for wrapping introspection in melody. His songs feel homegrown, crafted with warmth and precision but never polished past their soul.