“Life’s too short to be worried ’bout whatever
So you keep shining in the sun but I like the night time better”
For Sleeping With Sirens fans who were less than supportive of the band’s necessary and fruitful detour into a more pop-like expression on Madness, How It Feels To Be Lost will hail a return to heavier rock. Don’t expect anything you’ve heard from the band before though. This record is its own creation. It’s clear how their previous two albums informed the new record’s particular texture and variety. How It Feels To Be Lost sounds like the band took a look at their sonic character traits and wove together a tapestry made completely of attributes—it’s all the best parts of Sleeping With Sirens.
SWS have undeniably found a new incarnation of themselves on How It Feels To Be Lost. It’s 2,304 seconds of pure rock inspiration. In its entirety, the composition ebbs and flows with the listeners’ desires. Each song files in line perfectly behind the previous and will never leave you wanting. As individual landmarks throughout the album, each track stands confidently on its own and each one is a pleasure.
This was evident back in June when the band released lead single “Leave It All Behind”. From the opening moments the album delivers faultless musical entertainment song by song. By the time you get to the title track you’ll already be gripped and along for the ride. It’s not known if the band was allowed more creative freedom or if they just stood up and claimed it for themselves but, with songs like “Break Me Down”, they clearly own the album’s unique sound. There’s something really satisfying about listening to a track when a band puts the breakdowns right where you want them while also eloquently peppering in enough musical ornaments to make it interesting. Sleeping With Sirens master that art song after song.
How It Feels To Be Lost is musically mature. The lyrics are very personal and vulnerable without being fragile, something the audience can really feel close to. Sleeping With Sirens recorded an album that erases the line between the categories of “made for the artist” and “made for the listener”. If they are not defining what an entire genre should aspire to, they are at least defining it for themselves.
Stream it, Buy it, or Skip it? Buy it! I dare you to pick a favorite song. 9 out of 10.