From a house band to a festival set: DreamJob is taking up the Jersey City local scene by storm
written by Yukthi
“What is your dream job? Are you living it?” reads the opening narrative of DreamJob, a five-piece alternative indie rock and shoegaze band based in Jersey City, New Jersey. With Matthew Fuller on drums, Steve Coco on guitar, Georgina Dennis on vocals, Nicolas Arango on bass, and Rohan Roa on keys, they meet outside of their day jobs—all in the name of creating something they love.
The group met through the North Jersey chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). When Coco invited Fuller to play some music, they were soon joined by Dennis, who looped in Arango, and Roa joined after their first EP, 40 Story Walk-Up, was released in September 2025.
“Steve and I started playing—actually, we got recruited for a fundraiser for DSA for the Right To Counsel campaign in Jersey City,” which guarantees legal representation for tenants in all eviction cases, explained Fuller. “Up until the last show we played, we were kind of like the ‘socialist house band.’ It felt extra special to be able to play at those events—it’s like we’re working toward something positive in Jersey City.”
While their lyrics aren’t explicitly about socialism, it has inspired several aspects of the band’s identity such as their name, release titles, and even goals for the future. “If you could live your dream job, what would it be? And I think if we go back to the undertones of it all, we all work during the day, and then we’re like, ‘alright, let's make this our fun part—we'll call this our job,’” explained Arango.
They also joked about holding an election for their act name, like a true democracy, only to end up rejecting the voted name at the end. “Naming the band made me realize that I really don't like any band names out there. It's hard to pick something. You don't know what kind of music you're going to make in the future,” Fuller said. Arango teased that calling their fans ‘employees’ would be quite comical.
Coco continued, “Even if you do get your dream job, sometimes it crushes you. People want to be a doctor. People want to be a plumber or a teacher or a computer engineer. That's their dream job. So there's a little bit of an irony to get across—work won't always love you back.” As for their dreams: Arango wants to be a printmaker; Fuller a college Cross Country coach; Dennis an actress, screenwriter, and music supervisor; Coco a film director and editor; and, finally, Roa an NBA data analyst.
Despite the wide range of aspirations, they are united by a love for creating and experiencing joy, something they shared with others during their performance on May 16. DreamJob’s goal of contributing positively to the city was met at this fundraiser for and at The Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery. While taking distance from their role as the designated “socialist house band,” they started learning what it takes to put on an outdoor live performance at an event like this.
“We had some technical difficulties… but we learned more about things to look out for. When you're getting set up, you have to collaborate with a lot of people,” said Fuller. Coco added, “It was also just trying to play with joy no matter what the stress is going on.” They all were particularly stoked about putting on a show at such a unique venue: “We got to play for ghosts!” Dennis laughed.
“It's just great to see people being receptive to music, and bringing our friends together to hang out and talk and be with one another,” Coco said. “The music forms a third space of its own, like the social space outside of work and home.” There is an element of irony in DreamJob’s name and goals, but at their core, they’re just five friends who want to live out their dreams of creating together, in community.
