by Jonathan Bannister (@j_utah)
Burlington, Vermont’s Sleeping In are releasing their debut LP Let You In on October 20th and we’re happy to premiere the album for you right here. Sleeping In trade in a sound that’s shoegaze but with a harder, defined edge. Much like fellow traffickers in the hard-haze Nothing and Title Fight, but with a decidedly New England indie sound (the album was recorded in Allston which you can practically tell from the distortion tone). Let You In is shoegaze to jam to. Music influenced by heavy doses of Hum and Dinosaur Jr. as well as Slowdive. The vocals buried, the riffs monstrous, where the music and vocal tone do the heavy lifting of conveying the weight and emotion of each song as opposed to the lyrics.
Opening song “Dirtbike” shows the progress they’ve made since their 2015 EP. The sound is fuller, less clean. While the EP wanted to soundtrack your night alone in your room, Let You In wants to soundtrack your year. Jordan Stocker pounds the hell out of his drums, driving the songs along while Adam Wolinsky’s bass and Mason Dixon’s guitar keep the songs in buzz and tone, and JT Day’s leads come in and out of the noise to soar above it all. But lest you think it all one tone, songs like “Angel,” “Wither,” and closer “Bully” slow things down and clean things up. There are dynamics across the album, lifting and lowering, taking you through the full range.
Let You In is an album that grows on you. Things you didn’t notice on first listen reveal themselves on the third. You’ll find the songs wedging in and lodging deep under the skin, demanding you listen again. This is a perfect album to transition you from summer to fall. As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, it can factor into your rotation with ease.