#117: Introducing...The Sleep Wells

Brother/sister and brother/brother quartet The Sleep Wells have been plying their trade and honing their sound for over five years now. Rather than ape the sound of many of their influences and indeed their contemporaries, the band have created a subtle, delicate and nuanced brand of shimmery indie-pop that sets itself apart from it’s peers. With haunting piano sections and moving vocals coming from singer Grace Mellor, it’s certainly not your usual indie fare. It’s subdued and romantic, eloquent and polished and most importantly, it keeps you coming back for more.

While it’s certainly true that many band’s these days claim employ influences from genres such as jazz, r’n'b and blues, it’s rare that a band will allow such genres to envelope them the way The Sleep Wells have. That isn’t to say they sound like everything one’s heard before in fact it’s refreshing to hear such a contemporary spin on a tried and tested formula something which Mellor’s vocal work helps exponentially.

Their most accomplished track comes in the form of ‘In Paris’, which also sees itself as the most contemporary sounding song. Here a picked guitar part couples itself with Mellor’s vocal part and entwines itself around it during the verses while some nice cymbal and bass work swells and subsides throughout the chorus as Mellor repeatedly asks “Does it wear you out?”. While an infectious yet simple bass riff forges it’s own path and asserts itself as the backbone of the track.

It’s easy to tar The Sleep Wells with the indie brush, after all, they’re a four-piece band who play their own instruments. That said though, the band employ elements from a whole host of different genres that ultimately make up their overall sound. From the understated folk of most recent recording ‘Please’ to the emotive soul of ‘The Masquerade’, no two tracks seem to fall in to familiar territory the same way they could have, with each song on their Soundcloud page suggesting a versatility from the band that only several years playing together can achieve. Understated and silky smooth, London’s The Sleep Wells are a band for those who like their music so laid back it’s almost falling over. Lazy Summer evening festival listening. Mine’s a bourbon, please and thanks.

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This article was originally written for Ears On. Click here to check their site out.