EARLY REVIEW: Sister Sleep's "In Bad Faith"

On AsterTracks, I’ve been lucky enough to cover quite a few singles before their street date. But today we make AT history as Atlanta, GA’s Sister Sleep has let me hear their new EP, In Bad Faith, before it’s available to the public. This is the second EP from the post-hardcore band following last year’s Wraith and Rosary and has spawned two singles; “In Tenebris” and “The Arsonist.” Back in May we covered “The Arsonist,” a single that hit me with some genres I don’t always engage with and made me feel a certain sense of nostalgia for my earliest days as a music fan all at the same time. On Bad Faith that momentum only keeps going.

On that “Arsonist” review I called the song post-hardcore and goth rock infusion, but I don’t really think that fits anymore. (I try so hard not to categorize genres, ahaha.) To me, what’s going on genre wise with Sister Sleep, is that sensation when people say a band sounds spooky but usually they just mean they’re singing about horror movies. This actually has a sense of unease and eeriness to it. On both singles Sister Sleep uses this atmosphere and distortion to create the sense that maybe you’re being followed, maybe you’re approaching danger. The keyboard on “In Tenebris” makes me feel the way keyboard based post-hardcore did as a kid and that last keystroke absolutely breaks me. They don’t really do piano playing like this in this genre anymore. On “Arsonist” the distortion and screams make the whole thing sound like a walk through Hell and the bass riffs only add to the tension. As we get closer to the ending though we see this isn’t all that Sister Sleep has to offer, songs like “Lotus” and “Mirrormasked” serve as wonderful breaks in sound by showing a softer side to the band.


Not only is Kit Savvy, the band's keyboardist, incredible at their instrument, they’re also a great vocalist as well. Kit joins lead singer Barry Shelton on vocal duties on both “In Tenebris” and “Mirrormasked” and the duo makes a great team. They also just really know how to write a good hook and craft their lyrics so well. Outside of the vocals and sense of scenery though, these days it takes a lot for me to enjoy a solo section and there’s a few to be found on this EP. They’re so much more than guitar solos though! They’re also moments constructed by their surroundings. 


The song “Target Practice” is by far my favorite here. It opens with a great bass intro and a vocal melody and vibe ala 2000s emo. Lines about your brain being scratched are interlaced with this whispering that sort of defined an era in this genre. This song is also the reason I called out the solo sections above. A pretty skill intensive, yet somehow relaxed, guitar solo shows up here backed by this distant vocal firing off. It’s for sure one of my favorite songs this year in general.


Make no mistake, I’m talking a lot about call backs and celebrations of a bygone era and there certainly is that. (There’s a reference to a classic joint by The Used in fact.) But Sister Sleep in no way ever feels like they’re counting on you being a fan of that old music alone. They feel like their own band who are fans of those bands. I know I talk a lot about nostalgia, how much I hate it and how I want us to collectively move on but as a kid who came up on post-hardcore I also am hungry for it. Sister Sleep is finally a band who covers the spookier, harder edged aspects of my first love and also just sound as inventive and forward thinking as the best in their lane right now. I’m really struggling to find an issue with this and I almost find it weird to rank this considering I had it so early. Which, thank you to Barry for letting me check this out.


Go listen to this when it’s available, as always that information is provided below.


I loved this record
  1. In Tenebris
  2. The Arsonist
  3. Target Practice
  4. The Venom You Spit
  5. Lotus (At Night)
  6. Mirrormasked

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Best of Month: The top 25 songs of the year

Hi, it’s me, it’s Claudia, and today I’m going to do something I haven’t done yet. So every year I do the top ten singles of the year, but I don’t actually even listen to singles anymore. Unless I know they’re going to be singles, like on their own, otherwise I feel like they’re spoiling the record for me. This year I thought it’d be fun to broadcast my top twenty-five songs of the year because I do this every year for friends, mainly myself, but now it can be content. So, this won’t be a highly produced blog post and instead be very casual but hopefully you’ll get something out of it. If you’re coming from Reddit read the link below before leaving any comments for me on here or Reddit itself and let’s get started. Also, quick note. Some of these did not come out this year but are on records released this year. In those cases, assume I haven't heard the track till this year. Coming from Reddit? Start here! #25 “Glow in the Dark” by Mothica is from Rocksmith+ but it's also just
Read more

Best of Month; the Top 10 Albums of 2023

Image
2023 has come to a close and it was a lot to unpack. After relocating last year I had to figure out what to do next, admittedly a scarier process than moving itself. I’ve settled in now, changes have gone on, there were a lot of hard times and a lot of great memories made throughout the year. You may have noticed, if you’re a long-time reader, I was far less open about my own personal life in my reviews. If you’re new and this is your first year here, then hey you never knew this part of the blog. In these blurbs there are personal anecdotes, but they are far less revealing. Regardless, thank you for even clicking here. This year for my own writing was possibly the best yet. I reviewed more albums in one year than ever before and worked with ten artists to promote their stuff before the release date. If all the stars align there’s one more thing coming out this year. I hope you had a great year yourself, are having a relaxing holiday season and enjoy this recap of albums. Please suppor
Read more

Best of Month: The final reviews of the year

Image
Best of Month! We wrote so many reviews this year there were a ton leftover. So, to open the year end stuff this year, we're emptying the vault. There are a few pre-requisites for reading this year (but only if you came from Reddit) So look for that below. From Reddit? Start here! Rat Jesu - Prepared to Die (Drixxo Lords) I have been a pretty public cybergrind defender on the timeline, but in all honesty I haven’t dug into the genre on my own time. I’m not sure if you would consider Rat Jesu cybergrind but they’re definitely part of the movement, in fact I came to this record by following this artist from a feature on the newest Blind Equation. As I said above, Prepared to Die isn’t so much cybergrind but it is a neat, quick nu metal record with hyperpop influence. James from Blind Equation does show up as a feature and the song he’s on is a hit regardless of genre. My favorite track on the record, however, has got to be “Priestess of the Godless Valley,” There are two other featur
Read more