ALBUM REVIEW: It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It – sleepmakeswaves
SLEEPMAKESWAVES are not your usual instrumental band. For a start, they managed to crack the Top 100 in Kazakhstan.
The Sydney-based quartet also, however, have achieved two ARIA Top 40 albums, earned moderate commercial success, and played live performances across multiple continents, including the countries of China and India. A collection of accolades that many outfits would be proud of, certainly, but for an instrumental group, this is impressive; instrumental rock music, especially that which brings in progressive and math rock influences, isn’t known for being the most accessible to listen to.
However, it’s albums such as the band’s upcoming release, It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It, that showcase just how these feats have been achieved; SLEEPMAKESWAVES are not only talented and technically proficient musicians, but also fantastic songwriters. This album doesn’t totally eschew the usual instrumental conventions, being sure to pack plenty of flashy guitar passages and complex percussive fills into the tracks, but SLEEPMAKESWAVES always ensure that it feels focused, accessible, and genuinely fun to listen to.
This is true from the very opening moments of the record, as it slowly ramps up into the explosive All Hail Skull. It’s a slick, swaggering opening track, marked by a heavy, pronounced rhythm section and soaring guitar melodies, conjuring up some vaguely desert rock ideas with its effortlessly cool energy. Super Realm Park shows the band truly leaning into their progressive side, with the track impressively and cohesively evolving throughout, balancing flashy showmanship and grandeur with simply great hard-hitting riffs and melodies. The sweeping climax of the track brings in some bright piano bars layered atop the swirling, walzting central bulk of the track, and carries the listener out on a dreamy high note.
The softer guitars and sweeping strings of Black Paradise collide surprisingly well with the jagged, bouncing rhythms that march by relentlessly, bringing a nice change of pace to the album, whilst Ritual Control features an explosive mid-point as dance-punk rhythms rise up and confront the listener like musical fireworks. The album ensures that it maintains a sense of cohesion, whilst keeping the listener engaged with interesting stylistic switch-ups, and that sense of variety is nowhere more pronounced than on the gorgeous track Verdigris. This track is primarily composed of a luscious, contemplative bath of synths that is layered in a manner that lends an immense amount of depth. It is both ambient yet cinematic, especially as softly echoing keys chime over the top of it all in the back half of the track
A particular highlight, however, comes in the form of Terror Future. Driving riffs accompany nuanced and delightfully complex percussion and bass, culminating in a track that feels almost a little Stewart Copeland in nature, particularly thanks to its cinematic, melodic progression. The inclusion of vocals is unexpected, but a welcome surprise that gives the track something to truly make it stand out from the rest of the album. The breakdown in the outro is simply fantastic, carrying a bombastic funk that cannot be denied.
It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It is quite simply the perfect instrumental rock album for those who have never liked instrumental rock. SLEEPMAKESWAVES have shown their expertise and pedigree on this record, and produced a collection of tracks that feels far more substantial than just an amalgamation of flashy instrumental tricks. Cinematic yet accessible, and never ceasing to keep up the momentum, this is a record definitely worth your time.
Rating: 8/10
It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It via Bird’s Robe Records/MGM and Dunk!Records.
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