Yo yo. The name of today’s band is SLEEPIES, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the word ‘the’ is not part of their name. Unsurprisingly, this three-piece band hails from the ever-populated Brooklyn, New York, and the band is made up of singer/guitarist Thomas Seely, Josh Intrator on the bass guitar, and Max Tremblay behind the drum set. Unlike most things that have been coming through here on the Styrofoam Drone (with the exception of a few posts), these guys take on a heavy, pop/punk style that definitely leans much further to the punk side before anything else. This self-titled LP (with the intriguing “naked people waving” cover art) just came out recently, but they have been playing shows together since May of 2008, and above all else, SLEEPIES would be delighted to play a show in your basement!
So when I received an e-mail from these guys, I had no idea what to expect – and that’s usually how it goes in a situation like that. When things go down this way, that usually sets you up to totally be caught off guard, which is probably my favorite thing when it comes to listening to brand new music. Sure enough, these guys did just that. Their LP hits all sorts of lows and highs – whether it’s from a relentless, fast-paced punk rock song or from a grimy, electrified guitar solo – these guys really know how to do the punk thing, and they know how to do it good. The first track “Get Fucked” sort of sets the tone for the rest of the LP, as it starts things off with heavy guitar distortion, crashing cymbals, and frantic, yelling vocals. After listening to this song, you should have a rough idea of where the rest of the album will be going, but in no way will it reveal everything they have in store for you.
The next song “Monolith” is only the beginning of the punk fueled madness you’re about to endure, but that’s certainly not meant in a bad way. It’s an electrified punk song with shards of scuzzy guitars, and about halfway through they slow everything down and then suddenly pick it all back up again with a frantic drum roll before they bring you to the end of the song. The following song “Backbone” is another fast-paced, head-spinning punk song with grungy bass lines, and it’s followed up by a second one called “Dome”. Towards the end of “Dome” there’s some nice lead guitar work, and it all comes to an end with a spastic breakdown before the following track “Good Hunting” starts. I’m going to leave you guys with a good chunk of songs from the LP to listen to, including the sprawling final track from the LP called “Housewife”. If these tracks don’t do the trick, you should check out their Myspace because they have much more to offer over there.
Monolith –
Dome –
Housewife –
My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Punk, Pop
Sleepies LP: Tracklist:
1.) Get Fucked
2.) Monolith
3.) Backbone
4.) Dome
5.) Good Hunting
6.) Unfortunate Faces
7.) Hypochondriac Blues
8.) Carpultunia
9.) Squirrel Guns
10.) Polylith
11.) Summer Bummer
12.) Huh
13.) Housewife
Sleepies on Myspace!
Sleepies on Last.fm!
BUY the Sleepies LP directly from their store!
