REVIEW; Sadcult 'Sleep'

This week I’ve managed to gain an early listen to Sadcult’s latest song “Sleep”.
 
But before we get into the song itself, let’s talk a little about who Sadcult are, shall we?
 
Sadcult are a 3-piece band made up of Sam Newland on guitar and vocals, Pete Critchell on Bass Guitar and Chad White on drums. From dynamic vocals to thick guitar riffs, this band encapsulates the sharp edges of alternative and grunge, not just “reviving” the subculture, but making something of their own from it. For a band made up of just 3 members, they can certainly make some noise. Now onto the song!
 
The song starts off with a drum machine looping a simple beat whilst the electric guitar plays a riff over the loop. After a couple of seconds, we hear the vocals come in really softly, almost like a loud whisper. It’s the perfect approach considering the song itself seems quite chilled out and mellow, and having a loud screaming vocalist for this section would just feel out of place. However, the mellow dreamy nature of the track doesn’t last for long.

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The chorus kicks in and it turns what was a mellow track into a lovely sounding grunge anthem. Again, so many artists think just because their instruments are loud, that the vocals have to be shouted into a microphone to really get the message across. It shows some discipline which I think is something that goes under the radar. Again it’s probably not something that is seen as ‘Rock n Roll’, but if bands didn’t have some form of discipline then we wouldn’t get such a huge influx of great music.
 
My favourite part is the bridge section of the song. The drums start opening up and pounding and there’s a really awesome but simple guitar solo. Simple is not an insult either. Some of the best guitar players in the world have often agreed on simple is better. You could have a super fast and technical solo, but it could easily be seen as just noise and not really add anything to the track. Where as this solo is just enough to keep the flow going, but also add that little something different to keep the listener engaged. Finally, the track ends how it started. With a simple drum machine beat, mellow guitar and the whisper of the singer.
 
Great effort Sadcult. I always love being surprised and that’s exactly what you guys did. Simple but effective.

Written by Jack Saunders​

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