Our Sleepless Forest - Our Sleepless Forest
[Resonant]

Having declared Southeast London troupe Our Sleepless Forest as ‘one’s to watch’ some months ago during a review of Type Records 'Free The Future' compilation, it’s a tad surprising to see their long-awaited debut full-length release crop up on the much-loved Resonant Label. Stranger still, is Resonant’s decision to go with one of Britain’s most promising up and coming acts, just before the label embarks on an “indefinite hiatus”.

That being said, this three-piece, comprising Sam Purcell, Josh Rothberger and Karl Jawara, fit in perfectly with their new found home’s love of melodic music with experimental tendencies. Billed as Ambient Electronic Space Rock, such ambiguity doesn’t even begin to describe the sound of the Sleepless Forest. Their music is alive, bursting with a seemingly endless supply of layers. Melodies that spiral out of control skywards only to be anchored by swirling mantra-like vocals (at times eerily reminiscent of the little blonde girl in 'Poltergeist') and huge plumes of monolithic, reverbed haze.

Brimming with a hermetic radiance, Our Sleepless tap into the heart-warming naïve charm that has served other prodigious talents such as Khonnor and Our Brother the Native so well. The mix of hand-woven experimental pop with skewed pyschedelia, campfire forest folk and transistor crackle space-rock, though, points towards a mature approach to songwriting and composition. 'The Clarion' is awe-inspiring, with its sweeping, shape-shifting guitar and swirling sonic sound effects, recalling such acts as shoegaze/post-rock forefathers Bark Psychosis. 'Aircastles' is magical too as reams of melodic mystery blend with nocturnal insect life and a tempered dissonance.

'Afraid of You' is a temporary hitch, utilizing a hackneyed reverse-loop effect, used by just about every other band on the planet at some time in their careers. Let’s be honest, such tracks are always more filler than killer, whether you are The Beatles, Stone Roses or, indeed, a young act from Putney. Perhaps the alarm bells should ring, why should OSF resort to such tactics so early on in the band’s lifespan? Such notions will be swept away, though, and forgotten about along with the brilliant white light that the ethereal 'Doors In Limbo' bathes everything in. The alluring 'White Bird', meanwhile, seals the deal conjuring images of some lost Aztec civilization, the half-Gregorian chanting adding to the mysterious nature of such a piece.

Though not without its glitches, make no mistake, this is a solid debut from Our Sleepless Forest, a concrete platform for them to project sounds and set the controls for the heart of the sun.

Tracklisting:

1. Nomads
2. The Tinderbox
3. Doors In Limbo
4. White Bird
5. Aircastles
6. Afraid of You
7. The Clarion
8. Haze