Irish trio Beauty Sleep recently released their debut album, ‘Be Kind’ – a soundtrack to your summer, full of positive affirmations about self-love and good intentions.
We had a chat with them about music, and being kind.
Describe your sound in three words.
Groovy optimism with synths!
Your debut album ‘Be Kind’ is out now. What has the journey been like in writing and recording it?
We started writing/recording it early last year. We always said that when we do an album we’re gonna write it from scratch and try and tell a story. So we started with a blank page, which we naively thought we’d fill in a couple of weeks, but it took a bit longer than that!!
It was essentially just me and Ryan in a room, often late at night, writing and recording as much as we could for months. After a while, that scenario really burnt us out. This album really pushed us to make a decision on what we wanted our sound to be and what we wanted to say and it was a challenge! A good challenge, I’m so proud of the outcome and so much more confident about Beauty Sleep’s sound, but it was definitely a journey!!
We started super excitable, writing and recording a huge amount of songs we were really into. We got a quite burnt out, introspective and doubtful in the middle, we felt like we lost perspective on what we wanted to say. So we went to Donegal and shut ourselves away from the world – jumped in the sea and climbed cliffs and suddenly the music started flowing again. When we went back into the studio we could suddenly see what we were trying to say and what the album was about. That was super magical. It all came together and got finished really quickly after that!
What is the theme throughout the album?
The theme throughout the album is about being kind. Hence the name! This band and this album have marked a time in our lives where we really felt like we were growing up and changing. That awkward mid 20s era of trying to settle into the adult human version of yourself. We were learning how to be the best people we could be while facing challenging times – dealing with disappointment and fear and responsibility in ways we hadn’t before. Walking through anxiety and stress and loss. We were trying to be honest to ourselves and our loved ones, stay true to who we were but grow at the same time. These songs are a really honest depiction of that journey for us.
The overarching lesson we learnt was a mantra we would often repeat to each other – ‘just be kinder to yourself.’ Stop beating yourself up for no reason, it only holds you back. Extend that kindness and empathy to others, try to find the joy in the tough times. These felt like the most important lessons to hold onto and send out into the world in our music. So it felt fitting to call the album Be Kind. We hope people get some empowering comfort from the songs as they walk through their own journey. The whole album is a celebration of us feeling down and getting back up again!
What does 2019 and beyond have in store for Beauty Sleep?
We’re finishing off our album launch tour in our hometown Belfast in The Mac on June 29th! We’re so excited as the rest of the tour has been so amazing. The energy in the rooms has been insane! So this will be a big homecoming celebration.
For the next few months, we’ll be playing lots of festivals and shows across UK, Ireland and Europe, celebrating Be Kind whenever we go! Beyond that, more songs, more albums, more shows. This band has been such an adventure for us and seeing the joy it brings others makes us want to do it forever!
We love new music at Indietronica. What new music are you listening to?
At the minute we’ve been listening to a lot of new releases from WHY?, Two Door Cinema Club, Chaka Khan, Pillow Queens, Hex Hue and Soak. We’ve got extra long playlists at the minute from all the touring, so I could go on for ages!!
Sounds like: All Tvvins, Pleasure Beach, Passion Pit, Bleachers
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