Chicago shoegazers Sleepwalk have announced their fourth album, View From The Outside, due November 13 via MNRK Heavy, and shared the record’s lead single, “Sandbox.” The ten-song LP arrives five years after the band’s last full-length and finds Sleepwalk pushing their shoegaze and ’90s alternative rock foundation further into post-hardcore, with touchstones including Hum, Failure and Quicksand.
“Sandbox” makes a strong first introduction to that next chapter, moving from cleaner, textured verses into thick, saturated guitars and a driving chorus, with screamed backing vocals from guitarist Tyler Gargula. Vocalist/guitarist Ryan Davis says the song addresses the normalization of conspiracy-theory thinking and his frustration with the current political climate.
View From The Outside was tracked over twelve days at Earth Analog in Tolono, Illinois, the studio of Hum guitarist/vocalist Matt Talbott, with producer Zac Montez (Whirr, Cloakroom), who previously worked with Sleepwalk on Underneath The Shade. According to the band, the new record expands their palette with heavier rock, dreamier passages and even touches of trip-hop while keeping the hooks, atmosphere and raw emotion at the center.
Sleepwalk will also support the album with U.S. dates beginning November 12 in Chicago and continuing through December with stops in Texas and California. Watch “Sandbox” below and check out the full album details, track listing and pre-save information on the View From The Outside release page.
RIYL: Whirr, Nothing, Hum, Failure, Quicksand, Narrow Head, The Smashing Pumpkins
