The Sleepy Haunts – bloom, Vol. 1
Release Date: 13th December 2023
With their debut album released in the depths of 2020 it has been a long road for American soft-rockers The Sleepy Haunts despite it being a relatively short period of time in the grand scheme of things. After almost three years the band have returned with a four-track EP in the form of bloom, Vol. 1, a combination of beautifully soft rock and pop-punk-rock in there too.
Opening with ‘why do i feel this way?’ and the lyrics “it’s so hard to judge myself against everyone” sets out their stall pretty well. Self-referential as well as being outwardly honest, something that people struggle with now social media clouds what is truly ‘real’. The vocals on this first song perfectly represent both the heart behind this first song as well as the overall atmosphere of the rest of the record. ‘standing, waiting’ up next slows everything down to a countryside amble of a pace, the vocal melody pushing the song on like a light Autumn breeze. Whilst the opening pair of tracks differ in almost every way, it is Gillian McMahon’s singing that sets this above a myriad of similar artists.
As the second half of the record kicks in with ‘Peter Parker’ it becomes evident that McMahon’s songwriting isn’t limited to just personal experiences, but some geek culture makes its way in there too. The track is written as an ode to someone being likened to the masked superhero in terms of everything he selflessly does for those around him and quite frankly if someone writes a song likening you to Petey then you best at least get down to their shows. Maybe buy some merch. ‘Peter Parker’ is the fastest track of the four and leads nicely into the almost five minute long closer ‘the end (morning after)’. A track which starts out softly, akin to some of the slower Pretty Reckless tracks, builds through the first few minutes and grows into itself, closing out in the style of the rest of the record. At less than fifteen minutes, bloom Vol. 1 showcases strong songwriting, delightful vocals and hits on various important topics lyrically.