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

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