Formed via an advertisement on Myspace in the mid-noughties, Australian trio sleepmakeswaves will be a familiar name to anyone with more than just a passing interest in post-rock. Comprised of eight tracks, It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It, is the first album by the band for four years. In the band’s words, “The mysterious phase of nothingness, crucial to the smw creative process, is over: our new album is finally done. Thank you so much to all our listeners for your patience. It has been a slow but intense labour of love and we are proud of the songs on this record, and grateful for the many people who helped bring it to life.”
Returning to an almost fully instrumental album following the inclusion of vocals on their previous release, sleepmakeswaves waste no time in showing just why the release of a new album is so welcome. All Hail Skull begins with reverberating synths and delicately picked melodic before igniting after just thirty seconds. Crunching riffs and feverish drums crash down around the listener as the band show just how capable they are of developing a colossal, joyous sound. That is not to say that All Hail Skull is one dimensional; far from it. With clever variations in dynamics, timbres and tempo (including a thrilling half-speed finale) across the track, sleepmakeswaves ensure that the track remains interesting throughout, as is the case with second track, Super Realm Park. In the band’s words, “The main riff and synth on this track was inspired by F-Zero, the old school Nintendo 64 game. We developed and refined the concept into the first half of the track to bring in some late 90s influences. We hit a few walls with how to close the track, until one afternoon in 2020 at an apartment in Erskineville, we suddenly realised it needed a slow, crushing, hypnotic wall of noise. We can’t wait to play it live.”
While sleepmakeswaves clearly reside within the spheres of post-rock, they often shun the staple of tracks beginning steadily, building up, receding and building up again. Super Realm Park captures the energetic vibe of the video game that inspired it; Alex Wilson’s bass lines vividly bounce as the electronics shimmer during the first section. When the band bring down the tempo and the dynamics, which they do twice, they give time for the track to develop naturally, leading to amazingly effective varying moods and hues between quieter and louder moments. Completing an opening of higher tempo pieces, Ritual Control rattles along balancing the intensity and melody of an alternative rock track.
Black Paradise begins with charming acoustic guitars engaged in a hovering musing of serenity. It is here that sleepmakeswaves fully embrace the bewitchery of a steadily building track as an electric guitar and strings build layer upon layer of watery atmosphere. Two minutes in, it steps up a gear but mysterious restraint pulls the listener in further while Tim Adderley’s insistent percussion promises more is to follow. Just as the track reaches its climax and there is an expectation of a final flourish, the trio return to the starting theme leaving the listener exposed once again to the poise and delicacy of the opening motif. A bank of synths in glorious melodic drone herald the arrival of Verdigris. Fragile and thoughtful piano is heard through the overlain layers of keyboards and the two begin an intoxicating dance that lasts for the remainder of the track.
Terror Future and the second half of This Close Forever returns us to the more forceful vigour of the first three tracks, the former beginning with single notes on the keyboard before some groove-laden bass segues to the main part of the piece. Otto Wicks-Green displays the wide variety of his talents with a searing solo interspersed amongst his energetic riffing and complex guitar work. A soothing break in proceedings is enhanced some of the few vocals on the album. Terror Future is emblematic of how during the entirety of It’s Here But I Have No Names For It, different sections of each track are allowed the time to take hold in the listener’s mind and therein lies the greatest strength of the album.
Following Terror Future with the eight and half minute title track, sleepmakeswaves dive into a full-blown post-rock epic. Like a day with varying weather, It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It begins with lulling simplicity, begins to show sign of distant tempestuous clouds during its second minute which do not arrive until the first peak until some two and half minutes later. It is a masterclass of musical seduction and as the central section develops - complete with light vocals and beguiling strings and guitars – the wondrous emotional tension rises until the trio release it with one of the heaviest sections and Wicks-Green’s best solo on the album. The comedown in the final minute is utterly beautiful as strings and piano interweave with a grace that belies the power that preceded it.
It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It invites listeners to witness a sweeping landscape of sound, where each guitar strum and cymbal crash paints a vivid streak across a vast aural canvas. Crescendos are handled with finesse, and tracks’ pulsing heartbeats range from full-bodied celestial celebration to atmospheres thick with anticipation and emotion. A sonic odyssey that takes listeners through an experience that is a testament to the power of instrumental music, It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It is a welcome addition to sleepmakeswaves’ catalogue and a beacon for modern post-rock.
It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It is released on 12th April 2024 via Bird’s Robe/MGM and Dunk Records