Sleeptalk – 100x

By starrymag | December 7, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) Our sound is sorta a blend of rock, pop, electronic, and has sometimes been referred to as space rock. We love to incorporate synth textures and atmospheres over our more traditional instrumental of electric guitar/bass and acoustic drums to create a unique blend of new and familiar sounds.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) We all grew up listening to Blink-182, so they are for sure an influence on our music. Artists like The 1975, Angels and Airwaves, Bad Suns, Wallows and Tycho are a few of our many influences. But more recently, for me, I’ve been really influenced by Disclosure and The Neighborhood.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “100X.”

A) “100x” is about telling someone that you’re looking out for them no matter how much they don’t want to listen to your advice.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) This song goes back to our OG Sleeptalk sound that many of our fans are familiar with. The guitar groove and sweet bass line provide the foundation for Anthony’s voice to really catch your ear.

Q) How does “100X” show how you have evolved as a band?

A) We have experimented with our sound, which can be heard on our previous single “Trouble.” “100x” shows how we’ve evolved by being able to come back around to different sides/styles of our band. We aren’t afraid to put out an all electronic track and then come back around to a full-band song.

Q) Brandon Wolford shot the video. How does it play into the message behind it?

A) Wolfy is awesome. He always does a killer job and it a pleasure to work with. We’ve worked with him for a long time now so we fully trust him with the creative vision of the video.

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) It varies. But for this track, I came up with the electronic synth pluck (heard in the beginning) and I showed it to Paul (bass player) and he wrote the bass on the spot. Then, I popped in some drums, Anthony [Fitzpatrick] wrote some vocals, tracked everything, did some production and then mixed/mastered it. We usually write the music before Anthony writes the lyrics.

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) 100%. When we meet up together as a band, we write about three to four songs and then I will go through and add the bells and whistles and mess around with different samples/swells/etc.

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

A) We haven’t completed decided yet. We do have about twenty songs that are just about finished and want to get them out asap! But there are a few that we know for sure are gonna be out early 2021. Sometime in the summer a release can be expected.

Q) With concerts currently on hold, what do you miss most about being on stage?

A) Yeah, it’s crazy. We luckily played a sold out show at the Troubadour before cover. But we miss seeing all our fans and talking to them after the show. I’d even say I kinda miss loading all the gear, oddly. [laughs]

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) Favorite venue is the Troubadour. We’ve played there a bunch and every time the staff is awesome, sound guys are legit and it’s just an overall great time playing there. That venue is significant to Sleeptalk because we’ve done so many release shows there right in our hometown.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) It’d be great to collaborate with artists like ZHU for a remix of a track.

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

A) I can’t stop listening to ENERGY by Disclosure. It’s super rad to hear the way they push that envelope of dynamic and collaborate with so many artists.

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) We’ve been doing livestreams on our Instagram and it’s such a cool way to talk and answer questions that our fans have. Super cool to hear what their favorite songs are and why they connect with it.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It’s truly an incredible feeling being able to create music to share with the world. The support we get from our fans is so encouraging. Thank you to everyone who’s worked with us over the years ~ we’ll always remember you.

 

 

All Questions Answered by Guitarist Justin Melchor