Sleepy Jean - Idle Hands EP (2021)

Ontario’s own Sleepy Jean will be releasing her first recorded offering, Idle Hands in midsummer 2021, but until then, she has unveiled her single, “Smaller”. The track is a meditation on the compulsion to curl up in a ball and physically occupy as little space as possible. Anxiety often turns into a dreamlike, soft-around-the-edges state of numbness, and this song is the sonic representation of that.

The upcoming EP sees Sleepy exploring her love of 1960’s folk music (“Smaller,” “I Don’t Belong”) while paying homage to the likes of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald (“Moonshine,” “Downer.”) The final track, “How’s it All Gonna End,” is both an ode to the Truman Show and an unnerving waltz that swells with a tension-filled current as she ponders that titular, existential question.

Sleepy partnered with long-time collaborator Dan Serre (Cat Clyde, Shitbats) to record and mix the majority of the 7 song extended play over the course of 2 months within the confines of a spare bedroom. Russ Donohue (Stonehouse Studios) aided in additional mixing, and mastering was completed by Kristian Montano (Montano Mastering) in Toronto, ON. Drums and vibraphone were provided by Marshall Bureau (Great Lake Swimmers, Jill Barber), with additional playing from Kaelin Murphy (trumpet), Phil Bosley (upright bass), and Al Aguilar (synthesizers).