Sleep Thieves have been knocking around our fair isle for a number of years, released a steady number of high quality electro-pop songs, braised with an alternative edge. The most recent in this line is ‘Islands’ an all too short five-track EP that features perhaps the strongest set of tracks the band have ever put together. They’re growing as musicians, and ‘Islands’ is an unmissable milestone in the band’s career.
Pick of the litter would have to be ‘Oceans’, the second track of the 5, and the most evocative. Both male and female vocals are laden down with effects, the male in particular, and it produces a sweetly sorrowful movement. Driven, as with much of their material, by arpeggiators, the Thieves draw up something absolutely beautiful. Their music has been hinting at such depth for a while now, and with ‘Oceans’ it’s being fully realised.
The title track of the EP is a different act altogether. Much more ‘pop’, and twice as upbeat. It strikes at the heart of what Sleep Thieves have been getting at for the duration of their career: dark-electro with a faint twitch of pop. ‘Islands’ soars and dives, and it gives home to a host of effect banks and percussive instruments. It’s an elegant display. This is the essence of what the Sleep Thieves are.
Sleep Thieves have come a long way from ‘Osumi’, one of their first outings that appeared on the IMRO New Sounds CD way back in the distant fog of 2009. Their vocals have tightened, as have their instrumentation. They’re more measured in their approach, and they’re all the more exciting because of it. It’s an evolution. Pick up ‘Islands’ as soon as you can, and catch Sleep Thieves penning their electronic vibes live at a venue near you soon.