The new Sleep Lady EP is like an 18 minute (and 20 seconds) journey through a landscape that could never be called plain. Every minute is interesting and filled with nuances of pace and tone that slowly evolve into something bigger and more grand than you had initially imagined. Soon what started as a journey has become an epic quest that fuses every aspect of yourself.
Transcendental static, deep foreboding undertones pierced by light boons of intricate guitar work with bass and drums keeping pace and moving you on to the next note; the next stop in this rhythmic odyssey. This journey turned epic quest is fraught with all the same melodrama and twists in tonality and mood that you would expect in a summer block buster about a man facing his demons and coming out on top, but only after a few very close calls where he was almost drowned by the darkness he holds in his heart.
The periodic breakdowns bring a deep pulsing brutality lending depth and texture to what starts out as a fairly light and ethereal soundtrack. The dynamic between these two aspects are what gives this Central Valley it’s gripping narrative. Compared to their last album So Long Lonely Ghost, this EP is a beautiful extension to what has already been crafted. A tremendous follow-up to a great album and worthy of your aural consideration.
This is all an overly flowery and adjective heavy way to say that this one song EP from Sleep Lady is fucking awesome and you should give it a listen.
Rating: 5/5