Review by Nina Chiang
Sleep House is once again releasing another great chill, feel-good track titled ‘Stephanie’. It joins their list of successful releases like ‘I Hate That I Miss You’, ‘Dizzy’, ‘Run To You’, and ‘Pano-319’. Their alternative rock style is met with ambient hi-hat and drum set sounds plus guitar riffs that will soothe your soul while listening. As previously mentioned, each song exudes the same vibe though their stories are different. The lyrics provide character development and themes relatable to life.
In ‘Stephanie’, we hear ‘I’ll always think of you…the girl that is in front of me, is all that I want to be, I’m still around’. It is an anthem to a loved one—the trials and tribulations of a relationship. Emotional, soft, and moving, we can add this track to one we can listen to on an ocean drive through the hills or simply hiking to a picnic spot in a field. Imagine the panorama around her head during sunset as the song plays. You envision the one you want to be with and listen to this with headphones, thinking about what could be or how it will be. It is a well, thought out and crafted track.
In 2016, Sleep House came together as a four-person band that consists of Nicholas Garyasz, Adam Mink, Evan Marcinko, and Nick Marcinko. We would love to know their inspiration for their songs, what they are looking to come up with next, and where they see themselves taking their music. The future of alternative rock is set to make a comeback and if their EPs are any indication of their success, we can’t wait to see what they have next in store.
What was that transition from small, local gigs to touring like? Do you remember how you felt at the very beginning of your first tour?
To be honest, we’re still in that in between of trying to tour often but playing local as much as we can, anywhere we can. Our biggest tour we did was back in 2018, with Hate Drugs, where we went from New York all the way down to Florida. We hit spots like Atlanta and North Carolina and it was really cool to be so far from home, playing our music to people. I think that week was so inspiring for all of us because it gave us a taste of what the road is like and made us crave it that much more.
How do you feel when you see people in the audience singing along to your songs?
It’s seriously surreal to see people resonate with these songs and lyrics, especially since they all come from a very personal place. My biggest goal has always been to have music that can get someone through a dark time, like many artist’s work has done for me. I don’t think it’ll ever get old seeing people sing these songs back to us, it’s a dream.
I’ve read that the band had taken some inspiration from other bands like The Strokes. What is it about them and their sound that inspires you?
The Strokes pretty much revived and shifted what indie music was when they came up in ‘01. I think they just have everything a band would want: cool music, cool clothes, smoking cigs in New York and touring the world. Their music is some of the best art to come from the 2000’s so far, in my opinion, and I don’t think their sound will ever get old.
What’s a favorite song of yours that you would describe as a “guilty pleasure”?
“Fly With Me” by the Jonas Brothers is a very important song to Sleep House.
Your new song, “Stephanie”, has a softer sound compared to your other songs. Can you tell us a little about your new single?
“Stephanie” is a love song but also a desperate and vulnerable song about the struggle between love and heart break. It’s one of the most personal songs to me that I’ve written just because it comes from a dark place and state of mind I had to deal with for a long time. We really tried to mix our slow sounding vibe with our faster, more energetic sound and I think this song really encompasses what we’re capable of, as artists.
What’s your favorite line from “Stephanie”?
There’s a part that we had our friend, Kat, sing during the last chorus that always really gets me when I hear it. I wrote that verse the night before she was supposed to come in to record. The lyrics are relatively simple but it’s the response to the narrator who’s begging for her affection and I find it really beautiful and tragic.
How would you compare this song to your other releases?
This song really has a little bit of all of the different types of songs we’ve made and it showcases each of our abilities as musicians and songwriters. We each have our moments to shine in it but it all blends so well together that it can stand as it’s own.
Which song of yours is your favorite? In addition, which song was the hardest to write?
“Stephanie” was definitely one of the hardest songs I’ve ever had to write and even still, hard to play sometimes when I’m in that mindset. “Home” is another one that always gets to us, too. I would have to say my favorite to make was “Dizzy” because we basically cut that song in a day and were just having so much fun creating and letting that song out of us.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who’s wanting to start a band?
I really can’t think I’m in the place to give someone advice since we’re still trying to figure it out ourselves but I would say if you want to start a band, make sure your relationship with your bandmates are just as strong as your relationship with the music. If the chemistry isn’t there, it will show through the music. Write as much as you possibly can and if you know what you want and what you’re trying to do with your music, don’t let anyone change your mind on it.
You can listen to their latest song, “Stephanie”, here
