New Music: Sleeper – End Of The World

The laddish air that surrounded Britpop prevented acts like Sleeper from getting the recognition they deserved at the time. End Of The World will set that right.

Heralding a new album, it’s the title track of their second album since reuniting in 2017, and it also serves as a taster for what will await us on their 2027 UK tour. It builds on the lyrical and sonic themes of 2019’s The Modern Age, establishing a continuing story not just for Sleeper, but for Britpop. Louise Wener and her bandmates found a place between the polar opposites of Oasis and Blur in the 90s and did that and much more here.

If End Of The World is any indication, its parent album will be the band’s best to date. Wener’s voice is more mature – a lot of time has passed for us all – but retains those subtle flourishes and insightful way with lyrics that gave classics like Inbetweener and Sale of the Century deeper meaning than the music of their 90s contemporaries. It also highlights how much of Sleeper you can hear in bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Metric – also bands that want to entertain the listener and simultaneously make them think about the lives we lead.

Sleeper neither ignore their history nor dwell on it here. End Of The World is the sound of a band acknowledging that they had changed, life has too, and that we need to look to now and the future, not the past, to come to terms with ourselves.

“It’s a song about breaking free,” says Wener. “The moment you turn round and say, ‘Enough,’ I’m done. Whoever is hurting you – a partner, a family member, a way of life that no longer fits – leaving may feel like your world is ending. It might also be the most liberating thing you can do.”

She continues, “We made the album over 18 months, working in small bursts. I wasn’t in a great place when we started, and the recording sessions became these vital touchstones. Brief windows where life made sense.”

“It’s a very different record for me,” she adds. “I’m Gen X; we tend not to confront our emotions or display them easily to the outside world. There’s strength in that, but also solitude. I got to the point where I felt I was dissolving. Like if I didn’t put my discomfort somewhere, I’d cease to exist.”

The End Of The World LP is set for release on the 12th of February, 2027. You can order it and a lot of album-related goodies right here. For tour and album updates, head to Sleeper’s Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Header photo by Alex Lake