by Beverly Osazuwa
Ottawa’s Sleepy and the Noise steps onto the scene with their debut EP, Altitudes.
Sleepy and the Noise brings us emotionally charged lyrics over easy listening melodies. The indie-rock-pop trio formed in 2012, but the music started much before that.
Before Sleepy and the Noise, lead singer Christian Pasiak was working on solo projects. In an interview with Ottawa Showbox, the musician talks about how he found love in singing and songwriting. When drummer Kira Montfort and bassist Sarah Fitzpatrick joined Pasiak, they completed the sound.
Altitudes is an authentic piece. The four-track EP moves from mellow beats in “Mountains and Valleys” to a harder sound in “Crossroads and Graveyards.” Pasiak’s lyricism shows its strength in tracks two and three, “Noisy Universe” and “My Medusa,” where he tackles the depth and struggles of anxiety.
Montfort and Fitzpatrick push forward the music behind the monotones of voice. Their instrumentals follow along each word, bringing a rise and fall of sound to back Pasiak’s lyrics in “Noisy Universe,” as he sings,“Things talk that we don’t even have the words for yet all at once/not at once.”
There’s an instrumental break in the song where the guitar chords add a ‘twang-like’ quality. The break compliments the song well, allowing Posiak to show more complexity in his guitar playing. He gives us a taste of higher toned finger picking, giving the break an airy quality that you don’t find elsewhere in the song.
The feelings of the EP are raw and relatable. The bass and guitar tones are a rocking wave to Pasiak, bringing listeners to the edge of his emotions, then shaking them up by the end.
Check out Sleepy and the Noise’s debut EP at https://sleepyandthenoise.bandcamp.com/