Solo Slumber Party

Sleep ∞ Over's 2011 debut album Forever is an erratic, complex, but beautiful thing. Clothed in ambient wash, the pop hooks and affected lyrics of certain tracks (Romantic Streams, Casual Diamond) feel comfortable, soft and feminine. At other times, the hazy analogue synths, distorted drums, weird sound samples and eerie, protracted soundscapes on tracks like Don't Poison Everything lend the album an edgy, moody strength. It's not rare for a creative endeavour to speak of its maker – many projects are personally loaded – but it only takes a short encounter with Sleep ∞ Over's Stefanie Franciotti to feel as if this album is actually her, personified. She's chatty, girly and laughs often, but is also weirdly fierce; firmly outspoken on some matters and beguilingly uncertain on others. She's almost definitely the kind of person you wish you could hang out with, even though you know she would probably piss you off heaps. So it follows on that she makes the kind of music you want to hear more of, even though it keeps messing around with you.

Raised in Silicone Valley by strict (but music loving), conservative parents, Franciotti was a self-professed academic/music nerd during high school: president of the swimming club, choir, played soccer for 15 years. “I think probably I didn't start getting serious about experimenting with music until I got to college and left my parents' house, and was allowed to start being as loud as I wanted, as weird as I wanted,” she recalls.

Sleep ∞ Over didn't start out as a solo thing, but Franciotti's glad it's ended up that way. “Sleep  ∞ Over's been through several incarnations. For the first EPs I had two other girls in the band, then it was me and my roommate, then when I started recording Forever it was just me and my producer working on it in an attic we had rented. I've recently started working with a band again, but I would say that no matter what changes with Sleep  ∞ Over, it's always been, at its core, my project.”

While in a early interview with Dummy, Franciotti described the departure of Sleep ∞ Over's former members as a “soul crushing experience”, she now looks upon it as a favourable thing that she made Forever alone: “I don't like to compromise,” admits the honest Franciotti. “My work style is kind of nutty; I get really bogged down in creative decisions. On top of that I feel really firmly about not getting attached to your output. For instance, the other day I wrote an entire song, recorded all the parts and got to the end and was like, 'Well, this sucks', and kept maybe two parts and chucked everything else. When you work with other people, that can be a frustrating thing, which I understand.

“The point is, I think when you're making real art, you should have the ability to do that. I think you should be willing to make something and then burn it. Ultimately, that's what's going to make good art. What's going to produce total crap is when people think, 'Yeah, this is it, I hit the mark' and they think it's some big deal. But everybody creates; nothing is a big deal, nothing is really that awesome in the first place. Everybody should just be willing to get over themselves.”

I quiz Franciotti on her pre-Sleep ∞ Over, shoegaze project Silver Pines. In one review of a Silver Pines EP, she is touted as the “linchpin that allowed the band to do its best work”, (“I wrote a lot of songs for that band,” offers Franciotti), although Silver Pines' members later left her to pursue other projects. Does this relate back to Franciotti's perfectionist/no compromises approach to music-making? “You know, it's funny that band had so many people in it that were so strong minded, it was impossible to uncover the real thing that made it special, because we were all contributing. For me, I feel like you can only get super-focused, amazing music when you have one person; when it feels personal, one person pouring their whole being into it. It's like, too many cooks in the kitchen, you know? Making everybody happy doesn't make good music.”

What does make good music – or who, rather – according to Franciotti, is her producer Al Carlson, whom she worked with on Forever. “I was like a fan of Al's work; he'd worked with acquaintances of mine on [my record label] Hippos In Tanks. I liked his work. I had an email relationship with him at the time I was making Forever; he was in NY and I was in Texas, which was super hard. Lots of communications; it's not easy to be creative via email.” The two are teaming up again, however, for Franciotti's next album, which is currently in production. “If I had my way I would work with Al Carlson forever because he's amazing and a genius. I cant sell him enough.” Carlson also plays saxophone on Sleep ∞ Over's upcoming album. “I write all the parts myself but I can't play all the instruments. I have this track coming out where there's this shredding saxophone solo on it, it's so cool.” We suggest saxophone sounds atypical for Sleep ∞ Over. Franciotti agrees: “Haha, I know, it's crazy for me, right? I never thought I would ever do anything like a saxophone solo!” The said track will be the lead single off the next album and, according to Franciotti, will be out in time for the Australian tour, although the album has an indeterminate release date. “I'm working hard on it, but I'm not going to give myself a specific time. When I finish the Australian tour it will be my main focus.”

Despite the contemporary independent music market being oversaturated with lo-fi, bedroom synth-pop projects at the time of Sleep ∞ Over's emergence, Franciotti's work remains singular. She demonstrates enough songwriting prowess and technical proficiency in composition, and knowledge of her tools to suggest her project is probably better located nearer to the contemporary US experimental female league of artists like Laurel Halo and Julia Holter. Hopefully her upcoming album takes her even closer in that direction, although Franciotti – who quit her job as a nanny to go on the Australian tour – isn't sure music will ever be her whole occupation. “I haven't ever felt like I'll be in a place where music is the only thing I'll do totally. I honestly still feel like having a job is awesome. I mean, it's kind of like crappy when people act like they can't have real jobs, or take care of their business, because they're artists.

“Being creative doesn't mean you're incapable of doing boring shit like paying your bills. I guess I'm mainly lamenting all of the... loser bro-dawgs I know in Austin that are like mid-twenties, totally cute with scruffy hair, that don't have jobs but are all focusing on their 'bands'... my town is overrun with people like that. For those bro-dogs, it's like, chilling is all they know how to do. That shit's so annoying.”

Friday 1 February - The Liberty Social, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 2 February - Queens Theatre, Adelaide SA
Sunday 3 February - Geisha Bar, Perth WA
Tuesday 5 February - The Square, Sydney NSW