Family Feeling

In 2011, Sleeping With Sirens released a record that helped revive an entire genre nearly dead on its feet. Their second release, Let's Cheers To This, was in no uncertain terms a post-hardcore game-changer and one that lifted the band's profile from underground favourites to one travelling the world many times over. Now, just over four years into their existence the quintet have continued to evolve and mature as artists and people, creating an immeasurable blend of rock, pop and post-hardcore that is completely unique to them. With the release of their latest album, Feel, they have changed their musical direction dramatically and guitarist Jesse Lawson says it can be largely attributed to the members of Sleeping With Sirens “growing up”.

Speaking from Brussels, Belgium, Lawson sounds a little tired during our conversation from a lack of sleep, the band adjusting to different time zones during their current European tour. With Feel dropping worldwide this week, the guitarist says this full-length is without a doubt their best work to date. “I mean every record you have the songs that are like, 'Man, we coulda done something cooler there.' On this record I feel there's none of those songs,” he begins. “I do think it's the best, [most] well-written record that we've ever done.”

With their third album, the band approached the writing and recording processes differently to their previous releases. Instead of all writing the record together, Lawson, along with vocalist Kellin Quinn, wrote the entire album acoustically before bringing in the other members of the band. They also had to deal with having to write an entire record in ten days, a fact that Lawson suggests confidently the band thrives off. “That's how we work the best. We're all very loud and I can't really think of the word I'm looking for but if we spend too much time on something we will all over-think it way too much and it won't come out right.”

The band found themselves in a position where they only had ten days off between tours to write the new record. They booked a beach house on the coast of Oregon and went about redefining their sound. “So when we have that, 'Here's ten days to write your next record, can you do it?' we're like, 'Yeah of course we can,' and we made ourselves do it. We were writing two songs every day, and obviously we eliminated songs here and there but going into the studio we had like twenty solid songs and twelve of them made [it on] this record.” The recording process took the band three to four weeks, but saw each band member fly into the studio separately to record their parts, to allow them more time at home to spend with their families.

The major change in Feel is the band's softer and poppier sound, but according to Lawson they changed their sound because they felt they needed to grow up. “It's a part of life when you have to grow up. But as far as the music goes we wrote a more mature sound – I mean for us we've slowly progressed and I feel like if you put out the same record over and over it puts you in a box.”

While the record does include some heavier songs that show their post-hardcore and '90s rock influences, they weren't exactly interested in copying the generic scene trends of today. “We wanted to stray away from the breakdowns and the typical scene bullshit to a real rock sound, you know,” Lawson admits, before he jokes, “and really we just want to be on the radio.” The last two songs in particular show a side of the band perhaps no one has ever heard before. Album finishers Sorry and Satellites are slower, piano-driven ballads, that even the band felt a little apprehensive about releasing. “I mean, we were kinda scared to put them on the record because it is so different. We're a very consummate band – I mean, if you don't believe in the shit you put out then it's not going to go anywhere. I guess I wasn't scared to put it on; we knew it was going to be a big change you know, it could go either way.”

As with the development present on the new record, life itself has seen the members of the band mature in all facets of life, reflected through marriage and individuals starting families. Lawson, who famously proposed to his girlfriend on stage at the Warped tour last year is now married and expecting his first child in September. Frontman Kellin Quinn is also married and has a daughter and they are at the forefront of his lyrical inspirations; look no further than tracks like Free Now, where Quinn bares his soul to talk about his own childhood and the hopes for his daughter's life. “Kellin's are the best lyrics I've heard so far –  the songs this time are really personal and he did a great job and got the message through,” he explains.

While Sleeping With Sirens remains an integral part of his livelihood, Lawson says the hectic life of a full-time touring musician can be very challenging in terms of spending time with his family. “It's definitely something that you constantly have to work on. I'm lucky because my wife supports me completely and supports what I do and I know it's not easy necessarily for her you know. Our marriage is a lot different than most marriages and it just has to be like that 'cause I'm going on tour then [be] home for two weeks then gone for two months. Warped tour is like two months straight I just won't be home,” he says remorsefully.

“Luckily she supports it but it does make marriage a lot harder, but at the same time, when I come home those few weeks are amazing, you know, you don't take it for granted. Especially now she's pregnant and having my baby in September that I feel like that will make it a lot harder.”

As for any last words of advice to the Sleeping With Sirens fan base: “Thank you everyone for listening to me and our band and rock'n'roll!” Lawson finishes with a chuckle.