Zen Out with Post-Rockers Aswekeepsearching’s New Album ‘Sleep’ [Premiere]

It’s about time for some mellow moments thanks to Pune, India’s Aswekeepsearching! What on earth does that mean? Well, it means it’s time to listen to the modern post-rock band’s brand new album Sleep, three days prior to its official release on April 17th. Featuring eight brand new tracks, the recording is a more delicate and reflective piece than its predecessor and companion album, Rooh, which was well-received upon its release this past September.

Sleep has a soft palette, with songs rich in textures and emotion, while never straying from their relaxed context. Just check out track five, “How Am I Supposed To Know,” for instance; Featuring Ajay Jayanthi, the song will immediately make you feel relaxed, reflective, and perhaps even ponderous. It’s a welcome change of pace from a lot of the unbridled noisiness that you typically hear within the rock genre.

Singer and guitarist Uddipan Sarmah further explained the context within which the record was composed and how it influenced the finished product. “Sleep is not the usual aswekeepsearching sound. If you notice, these are the sounds which were always there in our past albums. It was just not very prominent. I was facing a lot of issues with anxiety, I had the worst of my time while going to sleep. That’s when I started looking for sleep music. While listening and some helped me sleep, I realized aswekeepsearching has this character. I spoke to the band to make this album, everyone came on board, majorly because they cared about me and wanted to help me in my tough times, but also because this is a sound we have always loved.”

Sleep is such a welcome addition to the catalogue of a group determined to bring hope and positivity to the world in their five years together. Starting as a very small project between Uddipan and guitarist and keyboardist Shubham Gurung, they have rapidly expanded their popularity in their time together with their original, emotive approach to post-rock that has seen them redefine the touring culture in India.

This popularity within their own nation has helped aswekeepsearching reach places as far away as Europe and Russia where they have both toured. 2019 saw the band transition from former drummer Gautam Deb to friend and collaborator Sambit Chatterjee taking his place which has helped them stay fresh in their approach to their songwriting.

If you’re looking for something that feels soft, relaxing, reassuring, and ultimately positive in a time of such doubt, negativity and uncertainty, then you’ll definitely want to give Sleep a chance!

Artwork for ‘Sleep’ by Aswekeepsearching