APRIL 8th, 2021
WHILE SHE SLEEPS EXCLUSIVE
MetalTitans had an opportunity to do a written interview with Loz, the vocalist of WHILE SHE SLEEPS, a British metalcore band out of Sheffield. Forming in 2006, While She Sleeps may seem new to the metalcore scene, but they have released 3 EP's, and soon to be, 5 studio album releases, with their newest release, "Sleeps Society" coming out soon. To learn more about the band and more, check out our exclusive below:
Interview By: Ruben Mosqueda
In 2012 While She Sleeps won the ‘Best British Newcomer Award’ from Kerrang! Magazine. I’m sure that was a huge honor. How much pressure did winning something like that place on the band?
Its always great to receive recognition for your efforts for sure, but not something we put pressure on ourselves to achieve, we set out with every song or record with a clean slate; a chance to say something new, push our own personal boundaries and create together.
We try not to preempt too heavily on what will happen this time or what we want the next record to sound like, we are very lucky in the sense that no one sounds like While She Sleeps and that having an incredible fan base allows us to be experimental at times and they support all we do.
You got a slot on the Vans Warped Tour across North America in 2013. What was that experience like for you? What did you take away from doing that tour? Is breaking in North America still a big deal for European bands?
The Vans Warped Tour is/was amazing!! We were lucky enough to play the tour a few times before they had to scale it back, its a slogger of a tour and can really take its toll on you.
As a band we loved it, we met some incredible people and made life long friends on the tour, as well as making memories and having experiences we’ll never forget.
I think if you can break in America its an amazing thing, especially coming from a smaller country the touring aspect of America is so different; a lot longer drives and the sheer scale of the place is massive, as well as Visas and flights, naturally these cost money so can be difficult from the get go, it can be very tough for a European band to break in America, for this reason the cost of touring is very heavy out there so it can be difficult. We’ve been lucky enough to tour with artists such as Parkway Drive, Bullet for my Valentine , Trivium etc. in the States as well as doing the Vans Warped Tour, and literally just before the world locked down for covid 19 we were in the States on our first ever headline which was amazing. We love it out there with you guys and are stoked to be back ASAP.
While She Sleeps is referred to as a ‘metal core’ band, am I wrong in hearing more of a ‘punk’ influence than a ‘hardcore’ influence to the band’s sound?
I think initially the band formed through the love of Metalcore, bands like Darkest Hour, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage , All That Remains, Unearth, Shadows Fall , August Burns Red to name a few. As we’ve grown as a band we’ve all developed our own tastes and we love bands from all genres, we are into hardcore, punk, post hardcore metal, metal core bands but also we like to chill at times. I think what people are hearing from us is a collaboration of what we all like, I think people can get too fixated on genres and what bands call themselves. For us its about just being While She Sleeps, but you are right, there is 100% some punk influences in there.
You have a new album coming in April. When was this album completed? Have you been sitting on the record for a while?
We do. April the 16th Sleeps Society drops!!
We're stoked to get this out, writing is a constant on-going process for us, so it can be hard to pinpoint exactly when things evolved from just an idea to being a demo. We are always writing music and lyrics, we came home after our US headline and was scheduled to be writing and recording, it has been so amazing to have a record to focus on during the pandemic. It has kept us motivated for sure, we’ve been very lucky that our schedule has kinda fallen into place with the lockdowns in the UK, so to answer the question we’ve not actually been sitting on it for too long, which feels really good and fresh still, cant wait for our people to hear this.
Has it been frustrating to have a new record coming out and not being able to promote it via traditional means?
Not up to this point, its been great, I mean it must be incredibly frustrating to release a record and not be able to tour for it, I spoke to Ben from Neck Deep a short while back on my “Throat” Podcast and he said exactly that. So like I said we’ve been lucky thus far, we’ll definitely have to look into streaming a show soon as it doesn’t look like shows are going to be back before our album is out…but thats all good. Fingers crossed for touring to comeback ay!!!
What’s your take on live streams? Are you for or against and why? With the Pandemic still looming around, what kind of precautions will you be taking once you hit the road?
I think live streams are cool, they are keeping people entertained during this shit time, and thats a bands / artists job, they will never harness the energy of a live show, theres really no feeling like that , but I think if we can't tour at least lets play for people while they're home.
I honestly have no idea what touring will look like once its back but I think in general its taught people about cleanliness, and sanitization. I’ve witnessed people just ignoring this in the past which is disgusting! So for that reason it may have done some good hahaha! Well probably be in masks for a good while and maybe socially distanced which will make moshing tough haha! But who knows, its crazy. Dont take my word on any of that. Haha!
There are bands that are very ‘fan friendly,’ they take the time to meet fans after the show and sign stuff and take photos with them. How will COVID-19 change how you interact with the fanbase?
Yes, its going to make meeting fans tricky for sure and as a band we have a responsibility to keep fans safe. We will still take the time to chat with our fans and take pictures for sure, but in the safest way possible, lets get shows back before we start thinking about how we can sign and take photos. Our fanbase 100% know how much they mean to us so it's all good.
What’s something that’s helped you get through the Pandemic, so that you don’t lose your mind?
Honestly the pandemic has been so tough for tonnes of people. I lost a close friend to suicide during the first lockdown and it shook me to my core, I think for the most part trying not to focus on “the end” of the pandemic is something that has helped me. I’ve been working out and running a lot which 100% has helped my mental health, but I think that focusing on the smaller victories is the way rather than when this will end . I’ve tried to focus week to week and think about what positives have happened.
What musical loss in 2020 impacted you the most and why?
LIVE SHOWS!!!!!
What’s something that you’re looking forward to in 2021? We can exclude ‘Sleeps Society’ because you’re stoked about the album’s release.
I may be moving house, stoked on this, but also the potential of playing Slam Dunk Festival and a While She Sleeps tour!
Thank you Loz, we Appreciate you taking the time to do this written exclusive for MetalTitans. We wish you much success on your upcoming release 'Sleeps Society'.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
https://whileshesleeps.com/
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/whileshesleeps
'SLEEPS SOCIETY' PRE-ORDER:
https://whileshesleeps.com/collections/all
PATREON PAGE:
https://www.patreon.com/whileshesleeps?fan_landing=true