Awake & Dreaming come from Waterloo, Ontario, with Kristoff joined by guitarist Stefan Schneider, bassist Phil Lee and drummer Ryan Dugal.

On “Cold Shoulder”, the four-piece work somewhere between alternative rock, theatrical rock and the kind of widescreen drama associated with Muse at their largest.

There is a point in “Cold Shoulder” where Awake & Dreaming stop sounding contained. The piano gives the song somewhere fragile to begin, then the guitars arrive and the whole thing widens into something built for a room full of raised hands and ringing ears.

That contrast gives the track its pulse. Sasha Kristoff’s vocals carry the quieter passages with a tense, exposed quality, while the heavier sections push toward full arena-rock scale.

When the screams arrive, they land as part of the emotional rise rather than decoration. The band lets the pressure accumulate first, then releases it through distortion, volume and sheer physical force. Recommended!