When US pop-punk juggernaut Sleeping With Sirens decided to make some changes after the release of their fourth album Madness in 2015, fan pages across the internet went into meltdown.
However, one album and almost three years down the road, the five-piece seem stronger than ever. We caught up with a very contented Gabe Barham while on some downtime from their world tour.
“The last few years have been some of the most exciting for us. One of the biggest [changes] was our management team. We switched over to the Madden brothers’ label MDDN. It’s been really cool working with those guys, they’re two guys that we really look up to,” he says.
“Benji is really good at keeping us focused, creative, inspired and on track, and also letting us be who we want to be – we’re so happy we made that change.”
Sleeping with Sirens first rose to prominence with their 2010 debut With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear. Since then, they’ve released four studio LPs, toured the world on multiple occasions and have graced the cover of Alternative Press magazine no less than six times.
“Switching over to Warner Brothers for our last record [Gossip, 2017] was a big move,” Barham says. “Going from an indie to a major label was scary and exciting all at the same time.”
However, some outspoken fans and critics of the band haven’t been so impressed with their new direction – especially their decision to make Gossip a pop-punk inspired album over the heavier sound of their last few albums.
“We’ve always been the type of band that puts out the music that we really enjoy,” Barham says. “It’s not for the group of people online saying ‘Oh, this doesn’t feel like Sleeping With Sirens. We want the heavy stuff.’
“When you start making music for someone else, that’s when you lose your passion and love for that kind of music. We’ve always had the mentality that we’re going to make music that we really enjoy playing, music that we feel represents us, that our heart is into at the moment.
“I love playing the new stuff. It’s brought a new element to our band and a new found maturity.”
Morale within the band reached an all-time high when their single ‘Legends’ was named Team USA’s official song for the 2018 Winter Olympics. “When we found out the news I didn’t even think it was real. We got to do a lot of stuff with the Olympians and for Team USA. All our friends and family were excited, and our mums were freaking out,” he says.
Barham was quick to add, another highlight will be their return to Australia for the first time since 2015. “It feels like forever since we’ve been down to see everyone.”
Joining them will be the Lower Than Atlantis, The Faim and label mates Chase Atlantic. “They are our boys. We had them come out on one of our tours last year in the States. They’re younger kids, maybe 18 or 19, and from the first show we instantly clicked. They’re a great group of dudes and I love their music. As soon as we found out that we were going to Australia, they were on the top of our list.”
Barham also revealed Sleeping With Sirens have been busy in the studio. “We have been talking a lot about new stuff. In September it will be a year since Gossip, although it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.
“I don’t want to give away too much but we’ve been really inspired. We had some time off recently, got in the studio and carved out four solid songs,” he says.
“It’s going to be pop-punk like our last record, but these songs are a little bit punchier and edgier and a little bit more up-tempo. We’re even thinking about a video concept for a new single, and I’m like ‘Come on baby, let’s go.’”
