Interviews: Cold Sleep

Heavy act Cold Sleep just dropped their debut EP Heartcore, which mixes post-hardcore sounds with a range of styles. The four-piece are based in Melbourne, Australia. Frontwoman Ash Lee and sticksman Steve Charlton filled us in on the deets of the five-track EP below.

You can hear the Heartcore EP streaming via Spotify or Bandcamp at https://coldsleepmusic.bandcamp.com/releases

The scrumptious music video for lead single Schizo is also streaming at https://youtu.be/rWX26_dohx8

1. What kind of styles are covered on Heartcore?

Ash: "There's a little something in this EP for everyone. Anyone who digs heavy or alternative music could get into it. There are songs like Schizo, which has clean vocals and a more straight-up pop-punk vibe. And then there's songs like Widowmaker with heavy riffs and screams."

2. How long have you been working on these songs?

Ash: "We've started working on these recordings three years ago. We've changed as musicians since starting the EP but we've put a piece of ourselves in each of these songs so it means a lot to us. It doesn't matter how many views we get or what kind of response we get, but I'll always be proud of these songs."

3. If someone is new to your music, what songs should they listen to first?

Ash: "Widowmaker or All You See Is Your Shadow. Those two represent the band the best. Both songs have a good mix of heavy and melodic elements.

"Widowmaker speaks to everyone. It's written for anyone who has felt betrayed by people who they put their trust in, people who they thought would lead them. All Your See Is Your Shadow is a song that speaks to people who constantly battle themselves every day. We all have that inner demon and also the side of us that believes we can conquer that inner demon."

4. If your members had a chance to write a song with any musician, who would it be?

Ash: "Chester Bennington."

Steve: "Everyone who knows me will know the answer to this one, Matty from The 1975, with George producing."

Dan (guitar): "Synyster Gates for sure."

Rob (bass): "David Bowie, John Lennon or JS Bach."

5. What does the band's name mean?

Steve: "As a kid I used to read my dad's '60s sci fi novels. One of the authors, Robert Heinlein, wrote about 'the cold sleep', where people would travel in space via cryogenic freezing to escape from an overpopulated, polluted Earth. A lot of them would never wake up after taking the cold sleep, but they took the chance anyway just to get away. I also liked how the name could have a range of interpretations outside of that story."

6. What have you got planned for the rest of the year?

Steve: "The much loved Rev (Reverence Hotel in Footscray) is closing down soon. It's hasn't been announced yet but we're playing with some friends on Sunday, December 30th to help send it off with a bang. Keep an eye on our socials for the announcement."

Cold Sleep on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColdSleepMusic