A Quick Chat with sleepazoid

Congratulations on releasing ‘RATS’! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this track and what the “rat race” means to you?

Nette: “Thank you !! This is the first song we wrote together as a band, about 1 year ago now so it feels very good to finally have it out in the world. RATS is a fun, whacky, tongue-in-cheek song about the fast-paced city life. I was reminded of Mr Toad from the old story ‘The Wind in the Willows’, which was where the idea for the song started. I think everyone can relate to that feeling where you’re stuck going around in circles. That’s how it always felt as a kid watching Mr Toad.” 

You’ve already played your debut shows in Sydney and Melbourne. How did it feel to perform live for the first time with sleepazoid? Any standout moments?

Joe: “Our first ever sleepazoid shows in Sydney and Melbourne were unreal. We have spent the past year working on these songs and to finally be able to share them with people live felt really exciting. For me, standout moment from each set was playing ‘RWTD’, it was so epic to see people enjoying the song and singing along.”  

‘RATS’ has a unique mix of lush harmonies and raw intensity - and, of course, a perfect amount of cowbell. How did you approach balancing these contrasting elements in the production process?

Joe: “When we wrote ‘RATS’, we spent a lot of time making sure that the verses and choruses transitioned smoothly into each other – so balancing that raw intensity and lush chorus was front of mind bringing it to life in the studio. On the production side of things, Chris really worked his magic on the mix – we had so many layers in the chorus, and less so in the verses – he was able to get each section feeling even yet still pop at the right moments. The cowbell was all Luca (we actually call him the Cowbell Cowboy).” 

You worked with some talented folks on this track, with Chris Doherty (Grinspoon / Hoodoo Gurus / Jet) mixing and Robin Schmidt (Wolf Alice / Royal Blood / Pixies) mastering. How did their expertise shape the final sound of ‘RATS’?

Nette: “We are incredibly lucky to have worked alongside such experienced and passionate creatives throughout this recording process. It all started with George Inglis, our guitarist, who recorded ‘RATS’ with us at his studio in Melbourne, Perfect Squeak Studios. That whole experience, having George at the helm, was instrumental in finding and shaping sleepazoid’s sound.  

Chris was able to bring our vision for ‘RATS’ to life with the mix. He was such a pleasure to work with, helping us to find the blend of grit and clarity that we were going for. Robin did a great job on the master too; we’ve worked with him before through former projects and always love his work.” 

‘RWTD’ was so well received, landing on triple j Unearthed and popular Spotify playlists. Did this positive reception to your debut surprise you, and has it influenced your plans for the EP?

Joe: “The reception has been awesome; people seem to really be loving the track which feels great. It hasn’t changed our release plans per se, but it has made us super excited to share the rest of this body of work.”  

Your debut EP Running With The Dogs is coming in March! How would you describe its overall themes and sound compared to your previous releases?

Nette: “We’ve spent a long time working on these EP songs, as well as others that didn’t make the cut. That’s been the exciting thing about starting a new project from scratch, we’ve had time to experiment, refine, get to know each other’s collaboration styles, and really find a sound that feels right. All the songs on the Running with the Dogs EP live in the same world when it comes to tone / mood / soundscape. Thematically, RWTD and RATS are the most abstract, with the others being a little more direct; sexy, personal, quirky! Hopefully that translates.”  

You’ll be supporting Sesame Girl at Stay Gold in December. What can fans expect from that show, and do you have any surprises planned for the set?

Joe: “We loooove Sesame Girl - we’re so excited that we get to play with them. If you attend, you can expect to hear the FULL Running with the Dogs EP :o (so come if you want the inside scoop!!)”  

Post-punk is a genre with deep roots. Who are some of your biggest influences, and how do you see sleepazoid bringing something fresh to the genre?

Joe: “This is a great question – personally, I love the more recent revival of post-punk, with bands like Fontaines D.C., IDLES and (closer to home) dust being on repeat at the sleepazoid HQ. We’re all loving bands like Feeble Little Horse, Mannequin Pussy and Slow Pulp, who have elements of post-punk scattered throughout their music but also straddle genres like shoegaze, alternative and indie. One thing we love in sleepazoid is a big riff and a pop melody, you can hear that throughout the Running with the Dogs EP.”   

What do you hope listeners feel or take away from sleepazoid’s music, both with ‘RATS’ and the upcoming EP?

Nette: “Hopefully people have fun listening to these songs !! They’re pretty heavy and fast paced. We wrote most of them over the 2023/2024 summer while we were becoming fast friends, going out together a lot, going to gigs and introducing each other to new music. It was an exciting time and hopefully that comes across in the EP. ‘RATS’ is about the rat race of life, trying to balance everything and not letting it bog you down. The rest of the songs are a little more personal, but still fun, quirky and relatable. We can’t wait to release and play them all.”