The Long Island-based rock group The Sleeping is back in the music scene with their fourth album, The Big Deep, almost two years after the release of their last record. This time, the five-man band has returned with a collection of dark and relatable rock songs with lyrics so personable that they dig right into your skin. Frontman Douglas Robinson’s vocals provide audiences with a sense of understanding in songs like “Get You Back” and “Beautiful Gloom,” where the focus seems to be on lost love and the hope of its return.
They have maintained their usual pure rock style with gruff melodies accompanied by very melancholy lyrics. Although the song “Dark Days” follows the group’s usual guidelines, it also includes aggressive keyboards and a more intense guitar-infused beat that wakes up your rocker senses. It seems like the perfect hit to start off the album when compared to the tune “Oh, Gloria,” an anthem with a more laid back sound.
The record’s theme is persistent in the single, “Boroughs Of The Ocean,” where the band’s intensity adds edge to their angst-filled verses. The middle of the album doesn’t pick up speed but instead continues in a dreary way with the tune “Retiring Spies.” “Deafening The UK” does set itself apart from the rest of the songs with the positive message of picking yourself up when being pushed down.
Tracks like “The Big Deep” and “Young Vibes…Don’t Run Away From Me” invoke amazing drum fills that allow the group to show how much their musicianship has improved. Since their formation in 2004, the band has been able to grow and serve as a spokes group for those who know how it feels to go through the worst and not give up on getting life right.
In A Word: Inspiring
