GRATHER WAY / PLEASE SLEEP SPLIT
Whelp. This is it. It’s a Not Just a Phase first: one split, one track, and one video smashed into your brainwaves, all in one fell swoop. This Split EP from Please Sleep and Grather Way was born from conversations after a shared show in Los Angeles.
We begin with the premier of the track "3 AM" from Denver’s Grather Way. The video is a marriage of grainy VHS nostalgia and summer tour footage neatly packaged alongside the self-recorded / mixed & mastered track (Jared owns Swadley Studios in Denver and mastered all the tracks on this split EP). That VHS-style footage isn’t the only bit of nostalgia pulling at your heart strings. “3 AM” has me catching feelings for DIY basement shows in the Midwest.
Maybe the bands nod to some influences in State Faults and Old Gray play a part in this. Maybe the similarities to The Reptilian, Caravels, and Archives that put me back into that headspace. Regardless of the existential dilemma that grips me, this track, this video, merits repeated listens. The band approach to song writing, structure, and being able to punch on recording easily affords the band the ability to be themselves, earnestly and honestly, in the tracks that they produce.
“We generally start with guitar riffs with Dillon or Jared having an idea for the song in mind. We generally add in lyrics last following the song structure and all instruments. More or less we put songs together that we like and sound good with no expectations.” And here’s the kicker; shit sounds good.
On the other half of the spit we have the track "Water" by Los Angeles screamo band, Please Sleep. A fuzzed out, overdriven guitar riff opens the track and the lead kicks in alongside vocals in a way that gives me heavy early-mid aught vibes. The bouncing, barely gritty lead guitar riff permeates throughout the structural changes of the song. It is upfront in the most unassuming ways, and pleasantly carries the song.
“OUR SONGS FOR THIS RELEASE ORBIT AROUND MENTAL ILLNESS, AND FEELING TRAPPED AND ALONE IN YOUR HEAD. I’VE BEEN THINKING A LOT ABOUT HOW THOSE WHO SUFFER THE MOST IN THE WORLD HARDLEY EVER HAVE A VOICE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. JUST QUIETLY ENDURING HELL IN A FORGOTTEN CORNER OF THE WORLD.”
- CHRIS @PLEASE.SLEEP.BAND
While the band cites a myriad of influences, like At The Drive-In, Deftones, Saosin, and Alexisonfire, they aim to bend genre conventions, eschewing modern screamo in the name of having fun with their art. But I think fans of screamo with mathy influence will take great pleasure in this track. My first thought was to compare them to their neighbors in Beau Navire, the vocal production really sends me there. Yet there are heavy doses of that Midwest emo / math rock which the lead riff dances about that are equally compelling. Chris, Jason, Duncan, and Luc put forth an absolutely killer track worthy of multiple listens.
Collectively, all the tracks on this split feel both similar and unique. In the end, the creative process, the desire to produce something for themselves, both Please Sleep and Grather Way have created a fantastic split for those of us nostalgic for the DIY scene of yesteryear, or uncovering some of these bands for the first time. As I said, this split put me in a SPOT, and I love that for me, I hope y’all feel the same way. This split is a fantastic collection of songs that y’all should snatch up as soon as you can — I know I will.
Checkout their Bandcamp and Instagram here : Grather Way & Please Sleep
Writer : @garevthistle
Editor : @just_reidz
11/12/24