Civil Villains release new track by track guide for ‘A Sleeper, Underneath’
CIVIL VILLAINS have released a new track by track guide for their new album!
Titled A Sleeper, Underneath, the upcoming album from the Oxford alternative rock/post-hardcore trio arrives three years after 2023’s breakout debut Motion Sick. Now, ahead of the record’s release this Friday, via Thundersnuff Records, we catch up with the band to give us a track by track guide to their sophomore effort!
1. Never Felt Better
This is one of those songs you start writing alone in the relative stillness of your home – all pretty flourishes and nuance – while knowing, with a quiet thrill, that your bandmates will turn it into a total beast once it hits the practice room. If you haven’t clocked the sarcasm, then I’ve truly failed in my delivery.
2. High Achievers
Born in a generator-powered, converted cowshed in Hampshire. The chorus riff had been abandoned after we tried to cram it into too many songs – but we’d never tested it as a lyrical bed. Turns out it just needed the right home. File under: sardonic social commentary.
3. Second Guess
A thematic companion to our debut single Pale Horse: power, responsibility, the misuse of both. Some songs welcome lyrics with open arms; this one kept them folded across its chest until the very last minute. Toby suggested the chorus line placement – an excellent call.
4. Horehound
If you want real swagger, you’ve got to throw in some 5/4. Reconciliation, forgiveness, blindly reaching for answers mid-argument – it’s all here. More chord-driven than most of our usual fare. Has any song in history been more elevated by cowbell? You decide!
5. Shadow Weight
A song of two parts – something we’ve done plenty of before, but this may be our most successful attempt. The first half is an idea I’ve carried around forever; the second is entirely Mark’s beautiful construction. Part eulogy, part dream-state. On some level I think the lyrics were subconsciously influenced by watching X-Men ’97.
6. Punching Down
That pre-chorus is probably the most “country” we’ve ever sounded. Lyrically, it’s rooted in my incredulity at the widespread embrace of baseless claims by people who should know better. The original demo vocals were all in falsetto – I think we made the right call.
7. Telegraph
Written and performed using a Passerelle bridge designed by guitar hero Kaki King and luthier Rachel Rosenkrantz, in a lush open tuning. The drums were recorded to a demo captured on Apple’s Photo Booth of all things. Eternal thanks to Mike Bannard for the gorgeous textures and electronic blips.
8. Come Home
Musically and lyrically bipolar—lurching between cruelty and compassion. Written in the garden office (read: shed). One of those rare songs that more or less arrives in a single sitting. It’s fairly autobiographical and, in parts, about wrestling with the creative process itself. Would it be as good without the claps? Probably not.
9. Knives of Ambition
This one is all Toby: shifting rhythms, caustic vocals, heavy atmos. Never has one of our tracks prompted the question ‘where’s the one?’ quite as much as KOA – we all needed constant cues just to stay orientated during tracking. Harrowing backwards e-bows and queasy guitar loops counterbalance the poppier edges elsewhere on the album.
10. Crosstalk
Some songs land in your lap, some are written in the space of a day, and others drag themselves through years of revisions. This one spent nearly a decade mutating through different forms and refused to die. Even in its final form, it wouldn’t be what it is without Mike Bannard’s stunning synth work.
11. Canvas Stretcher
We’ve spent plenty of time in the past chasing our tails trying to be clever. Songs like Canvas Stretcher remind us that keeping things lean and, dare we say, fun can be just as effective – and a lot more satisfying. What’s it about? Making peace with art-degree PTSD at the Turner Contemporary in Margate…mostly.
A Sleeper, Underneath is set for release on May 8th, 2026 via Thundersnuff Records. Pre-orders are available now and can be purchased here.
For more information on CIVIL VILLAINS like their official page on Facebook.
