Debut albums always carry that weighty hope of grabbing the audience’s attention from the very first note. Sandman Sleeps have stormed onto the music scene with Crisis Actor, an album that the band admits that they strove for painful perfection in its recording process. “We’ve recorded this damn album, like, three times now,” confesses bassist, Alex Peck. In addition to Alex, the band is comprised of vocalist Cristina Peck, drummer Karsten Andersen, guitarist Zack Jones, and Sandman Sleeps’ musical chemistry only further adds to the allure found on their debut. Led by the immediately gripping single called, “Portrait of Jennie,” Sandman Sleeps reminds me of Florence and the Machine, early-Cranberries, and with a modern songwriting twist similar to Middle Kids. The band’s attention to detail pays off widely, as Crisis Actor is a thrilling record from start to finish.
The record opens with a brooding trio of heartfelt songs as “Soaked,” “Feet,” and “Opaque” find Sandman Sleeps painting the scene in their minds with vivid lyrical imagery. What the band does best on these songs is by connecting each of the instrument parts to a deeper connection to Cristina’s vocals to make each and every note feel packed with purpose. Other early songs like “Induced” capture that electric band chemistry, while “Spiral” has a similar vibe to Metric’s latest moody offering called Art of Doubt. Sandman Sleeps appear to be focused on making the best music they’re capable of creating, while still tying into the core feeling of each song.
Standout songs in the back half of the LP like “Five Bell Alarm” showcase the great talents in drummer Karsten Andersen, whose frenetic beats and fills complement what the band is doing around him. “Portrait of Jennie” was an obvious choice of a first single since it captures everything that the band does best into a single, poignant statement. The track unfolds much like an intricate web of storylines packed into a compelling novel.
Ending out the set with the quieter “Summer Rain,” finds Sandman Sleeps at their most compelling, while “Rare Cloud” ends the album with the allure of mystery surrounding the band’s approach to songwriting. If there’s any faults in Crisis Actor, it’s that sometimes the songs’ structure are a bit too similar to the ones that came before it, but those blemishes are very well-hidden in the overall production and the ability to enjoy the record as a whole. This band is showing a ton of promise on this action-packed debut, and I look forward to seeing their continued progression of their sound.