Premiere: Day Sleeper’s ‘Rx’ is a post-punk recipe for dark nights

Day Sleeper. // photo courtesy the artist

Lawrence’s Day Sleeper is a four-piece making dreamy post-punk which falls somewhere between fuzzy and hazy Nico-era Velvet Underground and the thudding bleakness of Bauhaus. Buried within all that is a groove which, while not danceably upbeat, lends itself perfectly to swaying gently in the late night hours.

The band is made up of Allison Meyer (vocals), Sean Wilson (drums), Max Yoder (bass), and Jake Little (guitar), and you might recognize them as all being former members of JC and the Nuns, with Little and Wilson also members of Pimp Magic Guts, and Yoder also in Thimastr.

With Day Sleeper having just released their first single, “In the Garden,” in June, we’re excited to premiere its follow-up, “Rx,” here now. Produced by Sweeping Promise’s Caufield Schnug in his Lawrence home studio, this slow burn to a raging inferno is ready to soundtrack your next midnight bacchanal.

The band has a full album “in the chamber,” says Little, although they’re not sure as when and where it will see release. Day Sleeper had a really positive experience working with producer Schnug, though, and Little says of the experience, “recording with Caufield was really chill,” as he works extremely fast and loves to record live.

“We didn’t do many overdubs on the record,” explains Little. “Even the vocals were recorded live. I think the magic of recording with Caufield was how he mixed and mastered the album. He really added his artistic perspective to the album.”

Yoder agrees, noting Schnug’s high energy: “You need someone who is enthusiastic and passionate because recording can get tedious. He had creative ideas for overdubs and vocal effects which spiced up the tracks. Even when we weren’t sure where he was taking us with an idea, we had trust in him because we admire him so much as a musician and engineer.”

Even though Wilson was somewhat intimidated to be in the same space some of his favorite recent records have been tracked, the drummer says that the recording process was comfortable.

“He is tall and very nice and has an encyclopedic knowledge of bands,” notes Wilson. “He is refreshingly positive about almost every aspect of the music.”

Day Sleeper plays the Eighth Street Taproom on Friday, August 2, with Chaepter and Blanky. Details on that show here.