While She Sleeps: Welcome To The Sleeps Society
WHILE SHE SLEEPS have gone about their business, refusing to conform to any kind of mould or stereotype ever since their inception, constantly pushing the boundaries of their sound. This is one of the key factors which has brought them such acclaim and adoration from their ever expanding fanbase.
“When we first set out to be a band we didn’t want to sound like anybody else and I feel like we do still stand out there on our own and that no one really sounds like us and I think that’s the ingredients to making a great band, going against the grain and staying true to what you believe in,” explains frontman Loz Taylor. “Being able to step outside of the metalcore box and not just being a one trick pony is really important to us, to progress as musicians. We’re all music lovers as individuals too and all have different influences that we bring to the table. We want to keep our fan base on their toes and keep things exciting and current.”
Their newly released album Sleeps Society continues to stay true to their motive whilst creating a venture which is as exciting as it is innovative. A subscription service of the same name which will allow their fans to become closer to the band than ever before. “What we’ve tried to do is really build a big sense of community with the Sleeps Society. We’re so lucky that our fanbase digests what we’ve got to say and always seem to respond in such a positive way,” states Loz. “They can really help us sustain this. It means we don’t have to be a glorified clothing line and we can focus on what is important and make sure it is being delivered to our fanbase in the right way, by dropping the smoke and mirrors even more. It’s really good to have that tight relationship with the fans and let people know that this bond matters as much to us as it does to them. We’re just the lads down the street that want to be in a rock band.”
The pandemic has been a tough time for many as we have had to spend time in isolation, having to work from home or having to keep distance from loved ones and the subject of mental health is a topic that is close to the hearts of WHILE SHE SLEEPS. “It is something that members of the band have struggled with and we feel like especially at this time it is really important to break down the walls on that and hopefully, people feel like they can open up,” Loz says. “There are a few different themes that run through the album but the main theme is bringing people together and that is what we love about the rock scene. We all got punched, spat at and took abuse for wearing SLIPKNOT or KORN hoodies when we were 16 and if you are open minded I feel like there is a lot in this record for you. Hopefully people find that message.”
This release gave the band the opportunities to work with two of their musical heroes in the form of Simon Neil from BIFFY CLYRO and Deryck Whibley from SUM 41, but one of them almost didn’t come to fruition. “The idea of getting Simon‘s voice on one of the more anthemic songs on the record really seemed to fit so we sent him the demo and said he’d love to get involved. He’s an incredibly positive guy and has such great energy. Pretty much everything he put forward for the song we kept in as he just elevates it so much and he completely throws you in a different direction. We had no idea that he had guested on the ARCHITECTS track too at the time!” Jokes Loz. “It was also great to see Deryck involved too as I remember being 14 and skateboarding down to my local record store and literally grabbing their CD off the shelf because I thought it looked cool. I think everyone at some point in WHILE SHE SLEEPS was a SUM 41 fan. We just sort of reached out to him and initially he said he wasn’t going to be able to be involved as his partner was expecting a child. We were obviously a bit disheartened but sent him the demo anyway and a couple of months later he came back saying ‘lets do it!’. His voice probably sounds better than it ever has.”
Loz has gained a reputation for his powerful vocal delivery over the years but as his journey has progressed he has had to make some changes due to encountering issues along the way. This involved acquiring the services of vocal coach Melissa Cross. “Over the years if I wasn’t partying every single night I felt like I was doing rock and roll a disservice,” he admits. “More recently I think I’ve really had some growing up to do in terms of looking after my voice. I used to think that if it isn’t the heaviest it possibly can be then it isn’t worth doing. I saw people use certain techniques and I kind of just disregarded it like it was an easy way out because I had my passion to drive me. I figured out you can still have passion but you just need to control it. It was almost like learning a new language and everything I used to know needed to go out of the window. This record, in particular, was quite difficult to balance the new techniques and I specifically remember on Nervous trying to hold on longer for the screams like Chester Bennington and barely managing to sit in the pocket and hold my breath!”
As well as broadening his vocal horizons Loz has been working on another interesting project in the form of Throat Podcast. “I know so many people have released podcasts during lockdown but this is an idea I’ve had for a couple of years where I sit down and talk to different vocalists about their journey, techniques, warm-ups and problems they may have had. I’d love for people to check it out and let me know what they think. It could help people adopt new techniques, extend their longevity as a vocalist and enhance their performances and I’ve had so many problems with my voice in the past so it’s a topic that I discuss a lot and why not help out aspiring vocalists at the same time?”
Sleeps Society is out now via self-release.
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