THE SLEEPOVER — NO SLEEP — THE REVIEW
Leaning into the chill and relaxed vibes that rock music can encompass, The Sleepover’s new album, No Sleep, brings cool guitar riffs and lazy vocals to their songs. No Sleep offers a lot of potential to be a real hidden gem, but it never commits and lives up to what it could be.
Opening the album is a self-titled intro track, which declares who the band is and prepares listeners for what’s to come. Unintentionally, it serves as a pretty good barometer for the rest of the album. It’s good, but there’s no pizzazz to give it life. The next track, “Customer Service” follows in a similar vein as “The Sleepover” with guitar riffs and beats mirroring the intro track. It’s interesting to bring those instrumental ideas into the album, but it doesn’t sound cohesive enough. It’s too dissimilar to the “The Sleepover,” and at the same time it’s too similar to stand apart from it too.
“Armenia in the Sky” is another track that lacks a connective quality, and is one that falls the most flat. The lyrics and instrumentals feel a bit scattered, and the vocals don’t engage enough to make it exciting or interesting. Vocals for tracks “Dance Devil Dance” and “Night Walker” also fall flat, with the instrumentals carrying the rest of the songs. There’s something missing from the tracks, a sort of spark to really grab the attention of listeners.
Two tracks that do stand out from the rest as a bit more interesting to listen two are “Glow” and “Copy of Me.” “Glow” starts off a little sleepy like parts of the album, but it quickly picks up a bit. The band plays with tempos here, which makes it pretty dynamic and engages listeners a bit too. “Copy of Me” stands out for being one of the tracks with some pretty clear Ramones influences. The vocals here stand out for that reason, and the instrumentals match the old-school punk vibes. Lyrically, it’s also one of the better songs, with a relatable message of wanting a “copy of me” to do the bidding of the original.
Overall No Sleep was a solid OK. It wasn’t amazing, and for the most part lacked a spark to really capture the attention of listeners. There were moments where the band did seem to find a good groove and jam, but it didn’t really make up for the rest of the album.
Rating: 2/5
Top Tracks: “Copy of Me,” “Glow,” “Bodies”