Sleeping With Sirens

Sleeping With Sirens came tearing out of Orlando, Florida in 2009 and post-hardcore has never been the same. The group’s 2010 debut, With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear, established the fundamentals of its sound, with a fearsome dual-guitar attack framing singer Kellin Quinn’s own two-pronged charge, flipping between agile high tenor and blood-curdling screams. After some early lineup changes, 2011’s similarly searing Let’s Cheers to This established the group’s longtime core: lead guitarist Jack Fowler, bassist Justin Hills, and drummer Gabe Barham (replaced in 2019 by Matty Best). Rhythm guitarist Nick Martin took over for Jesse Lawson in 2013. With that year’s Feel, their third LP for metalcore label Rise, the group embraced poppier melodies, establishing a back-and-forth between power and grace. But on 2015’s Madness, for Epitaph, ragers like “Kick Me” sounded more urgent than ever and songs like “Gold” tapped a yearning vibe halfway between emo and modern rock. Signing to Warner Bros. for 2017’s Gossip, the group continued to explore radio-friendly sounds—acoustic guitars, hip-hop rhythms and sparkling production—but 2019’s How It Feels to Be Lost changed course yet again. Despite the predominance of synths and programmed-sounding beats, the album also found Sleeping With Sirens playing heavier than ever—proving that they can have their cake and annihilate it too. But no matter the parameters of their sound, their emotive essence—a thrillingly cathartic blast of rage and ecstasy—remains unchanged.