Taken off Inspired & the Sleep’s self-titled debut album, the affecting “Carry On” highlights the band’s dreamy alternative sound and their lyrical depth with a song about depression and relationships.
Stream: “Carry On” – Inspired & the Sleep
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It can take most bands a long, long time to release a debut album; from those”early roots” and on through a series of singles and EPs and tours, the trials of the music world require tremendous patience and dedication just to make it to your first album – a place most people still consider to be an artist’s “starting point.” More than six years into their own career, California’s Inspired & the Sleep are finally readying to take off with their own album launch: The band’s debut record Inspired & The Sleep captures everything we’ve loved about this duo for years now, coloring the world in bright, moving hues as the band dive deep into our shared life experience. The affecting song “Carry On,” taken off their upcoming album, highlights Inspired & the Sleep’s dreamy alternative sound while showcasing their lyrical and emotional depth.
In dire form since you lost the war
And I alone can’t handle the chore
Time and time again like it was before
You see yourself close another door
Always saying how I
Can’t hear you or don’t understand
This argument does not, have an end
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “Carry On,” the seventh and final single taken from Inspired & the Sleep’s forthcoming self-titled debut album, Inspired & the Sleep (independently out March 13, 2020). The San Diego / Los Angeles-based indie pop musical project of songwriter/producer Max Greenhalgh and multi-instrumentalist Bryce Outcault, Inspired & the Sleep have been one of Atwood‘s favorite up-and-coming West Coast acts in recent years. In premiering the band’s 2018 single “First Time,” Atwood writer Baylee Less lauded how the pair orchestrate breezy surf rock bliss and remind us why it’s beautiful to be vulnerable with another human being: “Clearly, these two musicians brew with more spices in their cabinet than the industry initially anticipated.” The following year, Atwood‘s Mitch Mosk hailed Inspired & the Sleep as “amongst the upper echelon of budding Southern California indie pop acts,” receiving the single “Getting Through” as a “sweet indie pop song struggling to connect with those who won’t let us in.” We further wrote how the band “have been delivering their genuine, rich brand indie pop tunes for the past five years – steadily building a strong fanbase while wearing their hearts squarely on their sleeves.” With yet another year under their belt, the same remains true of the group today.
Following the release of singles “Stay,” “Liaison,” “Getting Through,” “Big Wide World,” “Transcend,” and “Here & Now” (effectively over half of their album), “Carry On” – the album’s closing song – shows the softer and more reflective side of Greenhalgh’s songwriting. Sweet guitar patterns drive a sobering tune of solitude and sorrow, doubt and struggle as the band bring us into a world stripped of its brighter hues.
They may be painting a dark lyrical world, but such is not the case for Inspired & the Sleep’s gorgeous music, which fills the room with warmth and harmony as they hit the chorus:
When my love for you has washed away
With no words left to say, but
I’m so fucking sorry
And sometimes it feels as though we’ll day alone
And we’re growing older (would you let me know?)
But who’s to know? (if I let you go)
“‘Carry On’ is our dreamy ballad touching on the trials and tribulations of relationships in conjunction with depression. This is the last song off our record and it addresses the darker realities of life and the need to keep moving forward,” Max Greenhalgh tells Atwood Magazine. “The start of this song came from a bass line that I wrote the verses around. Bryce came in visited me one weekend at my old place in Highland Park and we figured out the complimentary guitar part which is a bit tricky to nail down. From there the tape hip-hop beat sample pushed me in the direction to writing the chorus. I typically get the chorus right off the bat written, but this song it was the final touch!”
I won’t be leaving the house today
No promises that I have to make
There are comfort zones so you won’t explore
Collecting pennies from off the floor
Always saying how I
Can’t decide or
Don’t speak mine
This whole where I
Bide my time
The very last song off Inspired & the Sleep’s years-in-the-making debut album, “Carry On” closes the journey not with a bang, but with more of a whisper. It’s a soothing end to a dreamy record full of intrigue and excitement – one that is as dramatic as it is calming, as feverish as it is serene. Stream “Carry On” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and be sure to listen to Inspired & the Sleep upon its release on March 13, 2020!
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Stream: “Carry On” – Inspired & the Sleep
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