St. Sleep- London DIY at its Best
Whether it’s DIY artists, superstar DJ’s or big name producers you’re after, London’s got it covered. However, it’s not often that we see bands emerging from a grassroots genesis producing a quality of sound that could give the big boys a run for their money.
St. Sleep, however, is one of those bands and – for now – they may well be London’s best-kept secret. St. Sleep’s freshly released and free to download self titled EP is a sublime mix of glistening synths and cool and catchy vocals topped off with slow, stomping beats and soaring guitars.
Their sound definitely has a mass appeal vibe but vanilla it ain’t: There’s deliciously tasty sonic flavours aplenty and it’s unlikely that their sound will fall foul of even the most discerning of tastes. The most striking feature of this EP is the seamless blend of electronic sounds mixed with the usual guitars, drums and bass of the rock genres.
If you like stadium filling, mainstream rock music (Coldplay, for instance) or perhaps something a little more dramatic (Muse perhaps?) then there’s plenty here for you. If that’s not your bag, then maybe the elements of Friendly Fires and M83 weaving in and out of the mix will take your fancy. All of these elements come together to create a mix of dreamy verses, ridiculously catchy riffs and sublime vocal hooks interspersed by an occasional epic wall of sound to create something very impressive indeed.
So where did such a well-crafted sound miraculously come from? Quite frankly, I had no idea, so I managed to catch up with frontman Myles Pereira, who was happy to fill the gaps.
‘’There really wasn’t a plan’’ He explains as I quiz him about how the band approached the project. But he adds ‘‘we’re good friends and have made music and known each other for years.’’
When I asked him about the potential difficulties of mixing so many electronic elements into their writing he later concedes ‘’Song-writing is difficult but it usually starts with one of us bringing an idea to the table for us all to pitch in and work on.’’ He also adds ’ our influences are drawn from Folk, Metal, Post Rock and much more. It’s a big mix of things we have grown up with and scenes we have been involved in.’’
While it goes some way to explaining the band’s eclectic mix of sounds, it doesn’t bring us much closer to pinning the band down to a genre. Perhaps this is best left that way. Since St. Sleep is such a new band on the scene, I’m curious to hear what’s coming next.
When I asked Myles if live gigs are on the cards his response was enthusiastic: ‘’Hell yeah! We’re working on a live set for early next year, so we will be busy with shows and more music to come’’. All in all, it looks like this EP is just the beginning of what is sure to be an epic journey. For now, you’d have to be nuts not to download a free copy from www.stsleep.com.
You can also find them on Spotify, Deezer and itunes, so there really is no excuse. So stop browsing, do not pass go, do not collect £200, and definitely do not look at cats on YouTube. Download the EP. Do it now.
Nick Vaughn
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