While Stella Sleeps - While Stella Sleeps

While Stella Sleeps

While Stella Sleeps
self-released; 2015

3.4 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

While Stella Sleeps claim to have taken the two most popular genres pop punk and post-rock and combines them on their self-titled album While Stella Sleeps. The absolutely mind blowing number of bands playing into these genres right now is staggering. In all honesty the thought of combining pop punk and post-rock seems wrong on so many levels. 

The reality of the music on While Stella Sleeps is that the music isn't that far of from a lot of other pop punk and alternative bands. Sure they have hall reverb on their guitars when other bands might have plate reverb but the songs structure adheres to pop.

There are many different facets of post-rock. Some bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor make post-apocalyptic often dark music that hasn't quite been embraced by the general population. Other bands like Explosions In The Sky have been embraced because of the nostalgic and hopeful elements in the music. While Stella Sleeps, if anything, tries to utilize the latter. 

Their most successful attempt at infusing post-rock into a pop song is the very first track “Death by Stella.” It also happens to be the highlight of the album. The vocalist finds his range on this song. He sounds good when he doesn’t seem like he is trying too hard. He sings, “And I watched, so helplessly as she flew away, to stay, I'm breathing you're breathing, And I dreamed, a dream you screamed across the galaxy... Oh I'm breaking I'm breaking.”

After an angelic beginning “Move Mountains” adheres to standard pop-punk protocol. That being said the sound isn’t too shabby. I thought the verse was solid and I enjoyed the vocal harmonies. I preferred the soft vocal delivery on the song to the aggressive on the verge of angry style. 

“Impulse” does a good job in integrating some of the post-rock tendencies while “Without a Doubt” is a catchy but predictable and straightforward song that leans towards alternative pop. They close with “Amica” which regardless of genre has some of the best guitar riffs. 

While Stella Sleeps EP is a solid effort from the band. Not all of it works in terms of combining pop punk and post-rock but there are a number of inspired moments regardless on the intention. The band has a little more refining to do but could be on to something if they can take it up a notch. 

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