SLEEPWALK Announce VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE LP, US Tour Kicking Off Nov 12

Chicago based band Sleepwalk has announced that they will release their new album, View From The Outside, on November 13th via MNRK Heavy. The announcement is accompanied by the textured, driving lead single 'Sandbox.' The new record finds the four piece refining their blend of shoegaze, 90s alternative rock, and post-hardcore (in the vein of Hum, Failure, and Quicksand).

Ryan Davis (vocals/guitar) explains: ''Sandbox' is about our frustration with the normalization of conspiracy theory thinking that is proliferating throughout our culture as well as anger with the current administration/general MAGA movement.'

View From The Outside was recorded at Hum guitarist/vocalist Matt Talbot's studio in Tolono, IL. An avalanche of both atmosphere and adrenaline, the album decorates Davis's wistful, semi-detached vocals with slabs of chiming guitars and battering beats in the spirit of fellow Chicagoans Smashing Pumpkins. The album is a journey of dramatic dynamics and nuanced moods; sepia-toned yet never wallowing, adventurous but steeped in pop structures and sensibilities. Laying deeply personal introspections bare in ways that are singable and soothing, Sleepwalk are like The Cure if they'd evolved out of American hardcore rather than from British new wave.

'Sandbox' is out now. View From The Outside is out November 13th via MNRK Heavy.

Tour Dates

11/12 - Chicago, IL - Sleeping Village

12/3 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves

12/4 - Austin, TX - Bushy Street Commons

12/5 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger (Side Room)

12/9 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar

12/10 - Los Angeles, CA - El Cid (Early Show)

12/11 - San Francisco, CA - Neck Of The Woods

On cathartic fourth album View From The Outside, Sleepwalk take another step from their nu-gaze beginnings towards progressive yet hugely relatable post-hardcore. Five years since their last full-length and with a radically retooled line-up, the Chicago foursome has elevated its 'heavy music for the lighthearted' signature with an expanded sonic palette and more cultured creative process.

'The newer stuff dips into sub-genres that weren't explored in the same way before,' said guitarist Tyler Gargula. 'There's dreamy things that weren't as intricate; more rocky things that are now very clearly rock focused; and even trip-hop on the album's closing track.'

Formed in 2015, Sleepwalk built their rep on seamlessly melding the visceral and cerebral. Lush, fuzzy guitars and thoughtful, reflective vocals propelled by hardcore-inflected beats earned comparisons to the likes of Failure, Hum, and Quicksand across a string of increasingly well-received singles, EPs, and albums. The Deli declared Sleepwalk's third full-length Underneath The Shade 'one of the strongest albums of the year,' while Stereogum declared their 2024 Out Of Focus EP 'phenomenal.'

Shows with fellow forward-thinkers like Glassjaw, Thursday, and Nothing spread the word among listeners seeking rock music that challenges tradition while remaining authentic and accessible. Gargula joined founding guitarist/vocalist Ryan Davis in Sleepwalk in 2023, with longtime friends Marcus Johnson (drums) and Vic Ordonez (bass) solidifying the new lineup two years later. 'The chemistry is something I've never really felt before in terms of writing, playing shows, and overall collaboration,' offered Johnson. 'I've known the guys for a long time, so it just makes sense.' In the summer of 2025, Sleepwalk further cemented their next chapter by signing with MNRK Music Group.

'The title View From The Outside is kind of the overall ethos of the band,' Davis explained. 'I feel like if people had a true, deep understanding of how miniscule we actually are and saw a much bigger picture … our behaviors would improve.'

View From The Outside was tracked over twelve days at Earth Analog in Tolono, Illinois – the studio of Matt Talbott, guitarist/vocalist of one of Sleepwalk's major influences, Hum. The band once again worked with Zac Montez (Whirr, Cloakroom), a producer known for textured atmospherics who also helmed their Underneath The Shade album. Montez's love of electronic music enhances View From The Outside as an unusually three-dimensional aural and emotional experience. 'The [newer] compositions are definitely more thought out,' mulled Davis, the band's principal songwriter and lyricist. 'A good balance of gloominess, hooks, and raw emotions.'

The album is introduced by first single and video 'Sandbox,' an apt bridge between the old and new Sleepwalk and emblematic of View From The Outside, its clean-guitar verses succumbing to hefty, saturated hooks, with screamed backups from Gargula.

The lyrics to vibey follow-up 'Jan 22' were written by Davis on a snowy walk home from band practice. 'It's kind of a love letter to wintertime in the city,' he said. 'Just observing my surroundings, because I'm one of the odd people out here that actually really likes winter.' Embroidered with evocative synth and twinkling guitar, 'Jan 22' is also an empowering metaphor for weathering dark times.

View From The Outside roughly (if unintentionally) divides into two halves: the first opaquely political and more reflective of the band members' collective hardcore backgrounds; the second more personal, experimental, and perhaps hinting at their future.

Third single 'Shell' epitomizes Sleepwalk's vulnerable, confessional side, its robust riffs and snaking leads framing Davis's struggle with introversion. 'It's about the frustration of how I've closed off as I get older … like I'm in a shell,' he said. 'And hoping one day to break out of that.'

Released to coincide with the album drop, 'In Flames' is destined to be a stage standout, it's ducking 'n diving verse progression setting up a chorus aching with anguish and a serrated bass breakdown. 'It's kind of dealing with my frustrations with the Christian right,' said Davis. 'How people can express such bigotry but then be, like 'I'm praying for you.' It's like, f you!'

Sleepwalk will support View From The Outside with North American and European touring. 'There's a lot of adrenaline going but we definitely lock into a groove,' said Johnson of the band's famously frenetic and emotive live shows. 'We like to make people headbang but also to give them a chance to hear everything and let the music breathe.'

'I hope that listeners get a sense of belonging or community, and the catharsis of letting out a little bit of aggression with some of the songs,' Davis concluded. 'But also, with the somewhat uplifting stuff like 'Jan 22,' getting a really overwhelming emotional response.'

Tracklist

1. Point Break

2. Sandbox

3. In Flames

4. Suckerfish

5. Jan 22

6. The Lighthouse

7. Cold Front

8. Shell

9. Dreamlessness

10. Pushback

Need more Music Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...

Music News

Get the latest news, discounts & more