“You talk more in my head.”
Active for about ten years, there’s a sense that Iress’ whole discography has steadily been building up towards Sleep Now, In Reverse. Going backwards, last year’s EP Solace was a re-focusing of their sound, bringing their doomgaze approach into a glossy clarity. Flaw, their 2020 record, was a foreboding and challenging listen, a huge change from the alt rock, up-tempo style of their debut Prey. Sleep Now, In Reverse is their first long play release through a label (Church Road Records), and it’s a massive album with flawless production, their most mediated songwriting, and sublime performances.
It would be wrong to start talking about Sleep Now, In Reverse without first highlighting its centrepiece, vocalist and guitarist Michelle Malley. The range of vocal techniques Malley accesses go far beyond the realm of rock and metal bands. A stellar example is “Mercy” where her voice is whispery and breathy in the engrossing verses, and soars upwards for the conclusion (“Please, take it all back…”). Tasteful layering of vocals gives heft to a few lines here and there, but she mostly stands alone in front of the shimmering tapestry created by the rest of the band. Malley’s voice is also disciplined, not leaning too hard on any inflection or single technique. The only similarity I can draw is with King Woman, a sonically different band to Iress, but Kris Esfandiari’s vocal direction elevates the band’s music to unseen heights. If King Woman make music for secretly-evil witches, Iress make music for the secretly-good ones.
Iress are also a delight on the instrumental front. Choosing the mantle of “doomgaze”, known for the likes of Holy Fawn, Spotlights and The Angelic Process, they’re a restrained take on the genre. They never let themselves hit a full “wall of sound” and are careful with any distortion and overwrought effects chains. They deal in blissful guitars, precise bass, and drums with the right amount of flourish. There is some extra space in the mix where a different band might have inserted additional lead instrumentation, but it’s good that they haven’t fought to fill every moment; it sounds like a pulled punch, and the record’s weight is all the more thanks to their steady approach. Even though there are two guitarists in play, they’re working in unison almost all the time. The main change to their sound since Flaw is the smoothing of much of the grit within the production, resulting in a more inviting listen. I can easily see some preferring the previous record’s sound, but clearly the sounds serve each of the record’s stories, and it’s facilitating to observe Iress’ evolution in real time.
A mysterious atmosphere is pervasive across Sleep Now, In Reverse; a mauve fog that shudders when the volume swells, glittering all the time. Opener “Falling” sweeps us into Iress’ weather system, demonstrating all their qualities: a focused song with huge dynamics, its bridge and chorus both offer strong hooks. The following “Ever Under” is a particularly slow track with a simple and classic riff, suitably oozing with emotion. All eyes will be on Glenn Chu whose stuttering beats dot the track and make for a memorable fade out. Sleep Now, In Reverse specialises in these lovely post-song excursions: later in the record “Lovely” also has a classy instrumental fade down, and after “Mercy”’s aforementioned climax, there’s an extended ambient interlude in its wake, and the following two tracks take it (relatively) easy. “Leviathan (The Fog)” is Iress in ‘acoustic’ mode, with blossoming choral vocals from Malley and just one burst of power from the band in the bridge. “Lovely (Forget Me Not)” feels post punk with its driving rhythms, pitching an upbeat summery groove.
The record’s second half begins with the combo of “The Remains” and “In Reverse”. It’s unsurprising this run became the record’s first singles thanks to their very memorable refrains. Having recovered from “Mercy”, “The Remains” ramps up the intensity in its choruses. “In Reverse” has a stand out bridge where vocals step back for a whole minute and a flurry of tight riffs come to the fore. A song that will inspire many comparisons to King Woman, “Knell Mera” lets the band step into full on doom metal for a moment. “Sanctuary” gets to the same doomy lows, the final fully-fledged song that ending the record in a very dark place. “Deep” is a minor closing chapter, a few ideas they saved from the cutting room floor. It’s not particularly notable given the quality of what’s come before, but it’s mostly here to finalise the record on an ambiguous mood. I’m reminded of the acoustic closer “Hand Tremor” from Flaw, or perhaps how Devin Townsend ends Ki with “Daemon League” – “Deep” similarly reflects on the moments of emotional release across the record, as if to say that these are cycles that will surely repeat.
Sleep Now, In Reverse seeks patient and repeat listeners who are ready to crank the volume – not to be crushed, but to pick up every detail of Malley’s amazing performance, and find all of the pretty minutae within Iress’ purple haze. I hope such listeners are not hard for the band to find – given the immense strength of the record, this should be their defining moment.
8.5/10
Iress’ Sleep Now, In Reverse drops through Church Road Records and can be pre-ordered here: US/UK.