Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Juli Jackson
After a five-year hiatus, Sleep State is back and ready to give listeners the sun-soaked tunes they’re known for. The band talked to NYOTA about their creative process, processing chaos through music and not taking themselves too seriously.
Take our readers back to the beginning. How did Sleep State come to be?
Sleep State formed in 2013 with some (very poorly mixed) demos of what later became our self-titled EP (2015). Originally, Sleep State was just Troy, however, through the years we’ve cycled through several very talented members who helped shape the vision into what it is today. In regards to the name, people used to tell Troy he looked tired all the time (which he was- they nailed it) and that his old songs made them sleepy.
How much has being from Southern California inspired your own music tastes and personal aesthetics?
Representing our hometown or Southern California in general has never been a direct goal of ours, however, we’ve had people tell us our music has “sunny California vibes.” If we had to pinpoint why, we’d say it’s because we love reverb, three-part harmonies, surfy guitar, and catchy hooks – all of which were used by the Beach Boys and other great artists of the area.
You are releasing music for the first time in five years. How has your creative process changed between now and when you first started making music together?
Our creative process is more collaborative than it was in the past. Back in the day, Parker would still write his (badass) drum parts and contribute cool production ideas, however, “BEWARE!!!” is the first song truly co-written by the two of us. Also, this is the first song we mixed and mastered ourselves. We’re taking a more “DIY” approach to the band this time, which we feel makes the process more enjoyable and authentic for us.
Do you feel that the new music you’re coming out with represents your true sound as a band?
The music we’re coming out with now is a reflection of what we’ve experienced as individuals over the last five years; during this time, we weren’t actively releasing material as a band. The lyrical content is more honest and the music is a more matured version of 2013-2018 Sleep State. That being said, our “new” sound still fully encompasses what Sleep State was always destined to become (our love for groovy melodic baselines will never die).
Your song “BEWARE!!!” touches on accepting chaos in our everyday world. Does making music help you two process the chaos that can occur in your own lives?
Absolutely. Like so many other passionate artists, music is our creative outlet and allows us to share our triumphs and struggles in a format that words cannot always express. Other peoples’ music has positively shaped our lives in so many ways and we can only hope our music will do the same for those in need.
What were your influences for the “BEWARE!!!” music video?
While initially planning the video, we brainstormed countless ideas that never felt fully genuine. Finally, we landed on a jam session which was easy to execute and brought us back to our roots as friends and musicians. Fortunately, Parker’s dad has a cool warehouse space behind his office in an industrial complex – this was our practice space back in the day. Parker’s wife, Juli, filmed the video with her iPhone using a stabilizing arm. This was the first video filmed and edited by our home team rather than outsourcing another artist’s work.
I love the lyrics “Scared but I’m hanging on / Steering clear of all the roads that I can’t come back from.” Now that you’ve been making music for a few years, do you feel as though you know the pitfalls to avoid that some artists tend to fall into?
At the end of the day, we’re all human and therefore going to make mistakes. The length of time we’ve been writing music – in addition to the time we took off from actively releasing music – has definitely allowed us to reflect and grow as musicians. For the younger musicians out there, we think it’s important to pave your own path and experience trials and errors firsthand – sometimes personal pitfalls teach us the best lessons.
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?
Surround yourself with good musicians and even better people. Don’t take yourself (or your music) too seriously, and never let your ego get in the way of listening to other people’s ideas. Always listen to what you love and cook up some fun yams with your buds.
This story first ran in Issue 37: The Empowerment Issue. Read more from the issue here.
