Written by Sophia Coyne | Photo by Tammy Dyson

Glasgow’s Dayydream first materialized as the solo, lo-fi dreampop project from visual artist and songwriter, Chloe Kaufmann-Trappes. After a stellar and critically acclaimed debut in 2022 with the self-released EP Bittersweet, the band expanded into a full outfit when she pulled Loup Havernith, Dillon Salvi, and Samuel Rafanell-Williams into Dayydream’s orbit. Over the past few years, the band have casted their slowcore spell across Scotland’s underground creative scene with their immersive and hypnotic discography and personal and gorgeous live performances. 

Often in collaboration with Glasgow-based independent label and promotion collective, No Soap, Dayydream have played at all kinds of unusual venues across Scotland’s Central Belt that are the stuff of DIY legend. From a cozy and locally revered charity shop in Edinburgh (the kind of venue where one quick movement could knock over a precious antique bowl) to an opulent and discreet chamber room in Glasgow’s South Side (the kind of venue where door access required direct communication with the event organizer), there doesn’t seem to be any spot too curious for Dayydream’s mesmerizing songcraft to drift through. In fact, Dayydream’s hazy textures and vulnerable lyrics seem to not only embrace, but appear most becoming in spaces both intimate and imperfect. 

Through the magic of the Internet, we were able to bridge the ocean that separated us, and I got a chance to arrange a chat with Chloe over email. She spoke about how her artistic practice has evolved over time, from her earliest creative experiences to how she became connected to her creative neighbors in Glasgow’s tight-knit music scene. 

Hey, Chloe! How’s it going? 

Hi ! I’m good, thanks for asking 🙂 

I wanted to start off by asking what your first musical memory is. Could you tell me a bit about that? 

Hmm haha that’s hard ! But if I had to say, I was really obsessed with High School Musical when I was like five, that’s not really cool of me haha but it’s the truth ! 

Did you listen to music a lot growing up? What was the first album you ever bought? 

Yes! Both my parents are musicians, my dad trained as a jazz drummer and my mum trained as a vocalist. When my parents split up my mum remarried my stepparent Stephe, who is also a musician and producer, so there was always something playing around the house. As for my first album I ever bought, I didn’t really buy anything physical until I was in my teens. It might’ve been Adele’s 21 or a compilation of Bjork’s greatest hits on the iTunes store, if that counts. 

Would you say that album still has an influence on the music you make today? 

Hmm haha maybe in a way ! I still love Bjork and I think Adele is a great singer/ songwriter. I think I always wanted to have an amazing belting voice , but that didn’t really happen. I think Bjork would probably be a bit more influential in the way that I just love her songs and how emotional they are, whilst also being catchy and using experimental production – also I love her visuals. 

You’re also a visual artist. Did you start making music or visual art first and how, if at all, do these practices feed into each other? 

I definitely started making art first, but I’ve always sang. I think I realised I was good at art much before music, because I used to draw a lot when I was young. This led me to photography and video, t. The way they tend to relate is that I sometimes design cover art and make music videos. Sometimes I have a really specific visual for a musical concept but I think the fact I am visually minded comes out in lyrics more often than not ! 

Do you ever feel drawn to try out other creative projects or work in other mediums? 

Yeah ! I always want to do more creative stuff but I feel like there’s just not enough time in a day! I’ve been thinking more about going back to drawing and photography, and maybe try out knitting. I recently volunteered at a kid’s art workshop and that inspired me to do more arts and crafts. I also attempted to learn the piano for a bit which was fun, so I might come back to that. 

Dayydream is currently based in Glasgow. Are you from there originally? What influenced your decision to stay/move there? 

I am not! I am very much not from Glasgow [laughs], I was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, raised in Jersey till I was twelve, and then moved to London with my family. But I consider Glasgow my home and I love it here! I came here for university to study art and stayed for music. 

How did you end up meeting Loup, Dillon, and Sam? What made you decide to play together in Dayydream?

I met Loup through Instagram actually, we were mutuals, because Glasgow is small and the music scene is even smaller. He asked me to play a show and I agreed, and we became friends! Loup pretty much was the glue that brought us all together since he knew all of us already. For a while it was me, Loup and Dillon, until I asked Sam to play Sam is part of a band called Spinney, who I love. I think we all just share a lot of musical influences and work well together, and I think they understand my songs. 

Independent labels often play a crucial role in shaping local scenes. Dayydream’s released a few things under the Glasgow-based, DIY label, No Soap. How has your link to No Soap impacted your relationship to Glasgow’s artistic community? 

It’s been really nice being part of a community in Glasgow, because there’s so much variety out there and so many bands. No Soap has helped introduce me to a wider community of people who are into similar music and art and really supported us throughout the last couple of years! 

What’s next for Dayydream? Our EP Trace is coming out March 13th on No Soap! I’m so excited to finally say it, it’s been in the works for a while, so expect to finally hear some new music in 2026.

You can listen to Trace out now and keep a look out for cassettes and tapes coming soon via No Soap!