I never expected this band to return. But I'm so glad they have. New Alchemy, the new one from East Coast indie stalwarts Sleepyhead is out on Friday and it's a delightful reshuffling of the sounds and styles this act perfected decades ago. It's also a pretty good reminder of how much life is left in this form.
Opener "Molly-Joe" has a loose, near-Wilco-like charm, while the title cut is even better. Ramshackle, and unhurried, this one recalls Pavement. "Can You Leave the Light On?" is one of the real highlights here, even if it sounds light-years away from the sounds of Sleepyhead on their Slumberland Records debut so many years ago. The trio, rather than rehash the vibes of that release and their other ones, are content to chart a path here that's familiar enough, but refreshingly iconoclastic.
If the inspirations of the band seem more varied now, the resulting tracks are somehow better than earlier ones, less dependent on an overall sonic effect, and more forceful and direct, and simple. Of course, this is still guitar-based, fairly laid-back (but still angular) post-punk, but Sleepyhead circa 2022 are not interested in overwhelming with feedback, re-inventing American shoegaze, or ironically referencing past acts. New Alchemy reminds how consistent this band was, and how easy it seems for them to please listeners even still, without a lot of nonsense around to kill the cool vibes.