Australian instrumental post-rockers sleepmakeswaves have released Ritual Control, the second single from the upcoming album It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It. The band have also announced a show at The Garage, London, on 12 May 2024.
“Ritual Control was first demoed as Dr. Riff Has Arrived,” bassist/keyboardist Alex Wilson said. “I still wonder whether we were mistaken to have not kept the old title. Otto originally presented the song skeleton to us with the concern that maybe the riffs were ‘too dumb’.
“In fact, Tim and I responded, they are the perfect quantity of dumb. Sure, these riffs aren’t going to earn a PhD. But they will hold down a full-time job, get the kids to school on time and read the occasional piece of challenging non-fiction on weekends. Courageous and heartfelt conversations like this are the core of what effective post-rock songwriting is all about.”
It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It was produced by the band at Golden Retriever Studios in Sydney. Originally written during the pandemic and recorded in 2022, further recording was completed in 2023, including string arrangements by Simeon Bartholomew (SEIMS).
The record was then mixed by Andrei Eremin (Closure in Moscow, Tash Sultana, G Flip, Luca Brasi) in Philadelphia, USA and mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering in Boston.
The first single released, Super Realm Park, has been described as a majestic return to the classic hallmarks of the band’s melodic post-rock sound whilst introducing new production and arrangement elements.
“The mysterious phase of nothingness, crucial to the smw creative process, is over,” the band said at the announcement of the new album. “Thank you so much to all our listeners for your patience. It has been a slow but intense labour of love, and we are proud of the songs on this record and grateful for the many people who helped bring it to life.
“We truly hope the new music we’re about to release resonates with you in the same way it does with us.”
It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It is available from Bandcamp.
