sleepmakeswaves Album Pre-Listening

The new sleepmakeswaves album "It's Here, But I Have No Names For It" starts with a big bang. The Australian post-rock band is finally back, catapulting me to that beautiful time when I first listened to their music. I'm now enjoying the new album reverently over a cup of tea and enjoying the cheerfulness of the work, which, for me, is already one of the records of 2024. Following my brief announcement of the record some weeks ago, I have a comprehensive preview for you today—you can also already listen to the first two songs in this article!

If you read my news "It's Here, But I Have No Names For It" in February, you already know the album will be released on April 12th. So it's coming out very soon! Enjoy your anticipation because it's definitely worth it! The animated video that the band released to announce the new LP came out in February along with the first single, "Super Realm Park". In the meantime, you can already listen to it—plus the second pre-released song, "Ritual Control", to sweeten the wait until the release day. Of course, I've added them here for you.

Together with their not about their new album, sleepmakeswaves released a mysterious statement that sets the mood wonderfully for what awaits you:

"The instrumental band sleepmakeswaves
Decided rock music they must save
In the year twenty twenty-four
Fans were clamouring for more
So they dropped a new record
It's a rave!"

The mysterious phase of nothingness, crucial to the smw creative process, is over: our new album is finally done. Thank you so much to all our listeners for your patience. It has been a slow but intense labour of love, and we are proud of the songs on this record and grateful for the many people who helped bring it to life. Hope to see you on the road in 2024, more show announcements to come, and we truly hope the new music we're about to release resonates with you in the same way it does with us."

Alongside the statement, the band released a video titled "Super Post-Rock RPG"—a 1990s video game-style cartoon clip about sleepmakeswaves. Please make sure to check it out after reading this. I'm dropping it for you below!

It's been four years since sleepmakeswaves last released a full-length album, and it's safe to say that the sun is rising with the start of a new chapter. "It's Here, But I Have No Names For It" is dreamlike and playful, visually powerful and strong. It interweaves shadows and light, abysses and happiness into an extraordinary tapestry of sound.

"It's Here, But I Have No Names For It" inspires

The first time I listened to the album, I was immediately struck by the fact that the band once again added string instruments to their music—just like on their 2017 album, "Made of Breath Only". This also clearly puts "It's Here, But I Have No Names For It" on the sunny side. I'm thoroughly enjoying this musical ingredient, and I'm sure many fans feel the same way.

By dispensing with the lyrics that the band experimented with in 2020 on "these are not your dreams", they're returning to their roots and, as mentioned in the intro of this preview, are bringing back memories. This makes the album feel very well-rounded and pleasantly familiar. The focus on the instruments creates a beautiful clarity. The record tells its story perfectly, even (almost) without words.

"It's Here, But I Have No Names For It" comprises eight tracks. Most of them have a playing time of around five minutes. The only exception is the title track—but more on that later.

"All Hail Skull"

I urgently need to experience the opener "All Hail Skull" live at some point. When listening to it, I can visualise the band slowly emerging from the stage fog and getting down to work. Awe fills the room. The track is quite driving and forms the foundation for the unbroken arc of tension that runs through the entire album. The sleepmakeswaves guitar walls we had all been looking forward to so much are there from the start and make for a fast-paced opening.

"Super Realm Park"

I already gave you a brief introduction to "Super Realm Park" in my news item about the album. As I mentioned, the focus of this piece is on the melody. The soundscapes are sensationally atmospheric and have an energising and stimulating effect. After a break, the track continues on a more reflective note. The piano at the end rounds off the number.

"Ritual Control"

With "Ritual Control", sleepmakeswaves pick up the pace and add even more complexity. Drummer Tim Adderley has a magnificent performance here—his exceptional talent is particularly evident in the solo in the middle section, which is an essential building block in this fascinating post-rock puzzle.

"Black Paradise"

The transition to the next track, "Black Paradise", is almost surprising. Alex and Otto take a quieter approach here; Otto's guitar slowly moves to the foreground before the drums kick in again. Melodic to distorted with a touch of romantic disharmony, it continues to build up the tension. Strings join in and create a sonorous overall picture.

"Verdigris"

"Verdigris" begins with futuristic keyboard sounds—floatingly light, with a hint of droning gloom. The piano keys slowly blend in and pull up the curtain. The track has an almost enchanted atmosphere that must be highly palpable when listened to live and via large speakers—all-encompassing and gigantic.

"Terror Future"

The sixth track, "Terror Future", surprises with a ravey note. sleepmakeswaves are driving the flywheel, getting you in the mood to dance. The rhythm work is particularly ingenious here again, blending beautifully into the droning overall atmosphere. Shadowy lyrics in the background answer each other to fade away in a receding echo. Staccato and melodic parts alternate. Towards the end, you can sense some vocals—arriving at just the right moment! This is exactly what makes the song my favourite track on the record. The next highlight follows with the responding heavy guitar, after which you can hear the echo from the middle section again before the song fades out and moves on to the next track. Chapeau for this great compositional art!

"It's Here, But I Have No Names For It" and "This Close Forever"

The title track comes in at number eight and forms a transition of just over nine minutes to the grand finale, "This Close Forever". With its pensive piano, which fades away gently at the end, it does so skilfully. The way the final track nestles in at this point, creating an exciting cliffhanger to what awaits us next from sleepmakeswaves, is masterful.

sleepmakeswaves Tour 2024

Following their release, sleepmakeswaves will embark on their tour in April together with the Taiwanese math rock band Elephant Gym and Meniscus. They will head to Europe from Australia, where they will also perform at Dunk!festival. The tour will then continue in North America in July. Keep an eye on the tour calendar online¹; there are still a few shows to come, according to the band.

Making-off "It's Here, But I Have No Names For It"

sleepmakeswaves recorded "It's Here, But I Have No Names For It" at Golden Retriever Studios in Sydney. After writing the songs during the pandemic, the sessions took place before the band set off on their three-month tour for their EP trilogy "these are not your dreams" in 2022.

They recorded further elements in 2023 together with Simeon Bartholomew (SEIMS), who is responsible for the string arrangements. Andrei Eremin (Closure in Moscow, Tash Sultana, G Flip, Luca Brasi) then mixed the album in Philadelphia. Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice took care of the mastering at Peerless Mastering in Boston.

sleepmakeswaves formed in Sydney in 2006. Since then, the band has toured Australia 16 times, Europe six times and Asia and New Zealand twice. With three ARIA nominations, two for the AIR Award and one for the J Award, smw has been featured in music magazines such as Rolling Stone, The Music and the Vanguard.

Sleepmakeswaves have already toured with projects such as Karnivool, COG, Devin Townsend, Unteroath and Russian Circles. Thanks to their worldwide network, the band has also been able to tour Australia with bands like 65daysofstatic, Rosetta, The Contortionist, This Will Destroy You, And So I Watch You From Afar, bringing the post-music scene even closer together. One of their biggest shared wishes—to one day play in Sydney for the sold-out Metro Theatre—has already become true for sleepmakeswaves several times now. The band recorded their first concert for the Triple J programme "Live at the Wireless"².

There will soon be more insights about sleepmakeswaves here on Sounds Vegan so, stay tuned!