While She Sleeps are at the very frontline of DIY music. Five friends who have carved their name deep into the global touring community using their own blood sweat and tears, and have poured every ounce of their worth as individuals into one collective project.
If you’re remotely familiar with Noizze as an entity, then you’ll know that we’ll champion While She Sleeps until the very end. The Sheffield high flyers have just returned from a run of US headline dates, before spending the weekend on the Bring Me The Horizon Malta Weekender sharing stages with the likes of Malevolence, Beartooth & Spiritbox. Heading back to home soil in the days prior to the record’s release, the band’s hungry fanbase are counting down the days until the delivery of a new and improved version of what was already an incredible album. The premise of ‘Sleeps Society’ was exceptional in itself. An album created, recorded and released independently – directly involving an already committed community of fans. Operated by Patreon, the Sleeps Society platform is a direct result of the band taking the power back from the industry, and utilizing the community they have built from the ground up for a mutually beneficial arrangement between themselves and their following.
‘Sleeps Society (Special Edition)’ contains the record’s original track listing, but with an additional five bonus features that are sure to become some fan favorites. The band’s latest single ‘Eye To Eye’ premiered back in April, and is paired with a no holds barred cinematic accompaniment that spans over seven minutes in length. The visual is another prime example of the band’s DIY roots coming to fruition, with the whole process being built, directed and executed by the band themselves and a small team. Graphic in detail and definitely aimed at an older audience, the video captures the songs artistic intent in depth and on screen. The internal struggle portrayed in the narrative comes to life in an aggressive acting debut from vocalist Loz Taylor, and the rest of the band back up the delivery with everything from set building to the audio score. This is a track that has been ten years in the making, and to see it turn from fragmented ideas into a full package makes it a rewarding wait indeed. The band have always been huge advocates of mental health awareness, and ‘Eye To Eye’ embodies this ethos ten fold.
The third track on the record still stands as ‘Systematic’, however this version holds some added guest vocals from none other than Rou Reynolds. It’s almost as if Sleeps have fused their own material with Enter Shikari’s ‘Rabble Rouser’ – delivering an end result that could be compared to two sides of the same coin. It definitely sits apart from the rest of the album in respect of its style, but gives an added surprise to the tracklisting that is distinctly refreshing. The fourteenth stop on the record is breathtaking. Stripped back and raw, the acoustic rendition of ‘You Are All You Need’ is as emotive as it gets. Featuring strings, gentle guitars and soaring gang vocal delivery – this particular arrangement brings the lyrics to the centre of the stage, allowing chance to fully digest its context. The final bonus track on the release pays homage to their fanbase in full – including vocal appearances from members of the Sleeps Society project. It’s a brilliant touch that really hammers home everything the band are doing, and doing well. Breaking down the stereotypical relationship between artists and their community, WSS have kicked down the door to succesfully create a record for the fans, by the fans.
When any artist announces an extended edition, it can be easy to generate concerns that it could just be an additional profiteering exercise with no real added benefit. We assure you, that in this instance you are in for something different. As always with any of their material, if its coming from While She Sleeps – we know you’re in good hands.