Sleep ∞ Over’s debut LP Forever conflated dreamy pop sequences with pangs of disarming noise. Franciotti has been working on the follow up record for the last year and she endeavours to further deviate from linear pop-song formulas and subsequently challenge inert listening practises. Understandably, executing these bold ambitions has been a complex procedure.
“I started working on the record and it was initially very arty and heady. It was challenging for me in that I was trying to create a record that didn’t rely on pop structures in a traditional sense. I wanted to take improvisational pieces recorded in a room, lots of live instruments and room vibe, and from all that material create more intelligent compositions. It took me for-fucking-ever! It was just really hard and really challenging.”
Facing these challenges has not been discouraging and Stefanie’s taste preferences are an impetus to stretch herself artistically.
“I think that it’s pleasing to construct pop songs. It’s like a fun puzzle that you can, as a musician, just sit down and be like, ‘Oh it’s the A-part, it’s the B-part’ and move these pieces around and ta-da! – look at that, it’s a song. But that can be really boring. When I listen to music I dissect it the whole time. I want to figure it out, I want it to make sense in my brain. If it makes sense too quickly it’s not interesting.”
Throughout their history, Sleep ∞ Over have undergone many lineup fluctuations. The multiple personnel changes have led Franciotti to devise a method of executing the sounds on her own.
“I started a band with these girls and then we decided to go our own ways for personal reasons. Then I started playing with my roommates and my boyfriend at the time. Basically I was writing the songs and in recording I would get whoever to help me arrange all the parts. Then, because everybody’s in bands and me and my boyfriend broke up, we all decided to do our own thing. I got more into electronics so I was able to transition my set and take all the songs from the last record and use midi to have a full analogue set that I could control all myself.”
Stefanie has no objections to working with other people and the forthcoming record will see her bolstered by a new band. Inviting others into her creative universe required her to consolidate a relatable conception of the songs.
“Once I started working with other people it forced me to look at how I explain my songs and really think about them and have to make clear cut decisions. Since I’ve been playing with these other people I’ve been able to crank out a shitload of material. I’m working with really solid musicians right now. Everything we set our minds to is pretty awesome.”
Continuing this enthusiasm, Franciotti believes she’s broached new territory as a songwriter and performer on the new Sleep ∞ Over single, which will surface later this month.
“One song is a Vashti Bunyan cover, I Want To Be Alone. I love that song. We kind of re-imagined it. It has definite ‘60s vibes, there’s live drums and stuff, but it’s got its basis in electronics. It’s a fun cover. The other song is, to me, more challenging as a listener. It’s very emotional. In the past, when I sing, I’ve always been slightly restrained. When I recorded this song I made a really clear effort within myself to be more emotional and emotive, lyrically and vocally.” The appraisal she gives the new material surpasses her opinion of any of her preceding creations. “I really, really like the songs that I’m about to put out and I don’t think I’ve ever liked anything I’ve ever made in my whole life.”
This seemingly guarded attitude is not intended as self-deprecation. Stefanie regards artistic activity to be akin to an act of purging which, once enacted, shouldn’t be dwelt upon nor framed as definitive.
“Why would you ever be satisfied with anything you ever make? That’s just complacency. It breeds total shit. As a creative person you want to do what you do and then move forward and not become attached to anything or think anything is holy because that puts you in this mindset where you’re creating bullshit.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
