Baltimore has seen a sea of change in recent years as political turmoil has uncovered the corruption that lies within the city’s government. Limited resources along with a basic ignorance from the rest of the country has fostered a scene that has been held in high regard from the previous decade but as of late, most of what happens remains relatively unknown. Cacophonous noise barrels down your spine on first listen to Baklavaa’s new album Sleep Running heralding all the chaos that surrounds the band in their home town. Lead single, “Dsnylnd” echoes the empty sentiment of consumerism with an ear piercing level of dissonance as your left in a fever dream towards the final act. The four piece use this technique to their advantage, creating snapshots of those moments when you’ve fallen fast asleep… the sudden images that flash through as quickly as they’ve arrived. After nearly three years of work, the group has conjured themselves a restless spirit emboldened to leave a mark on its unsuspecting listener. You can stream the album exclusively in full below ahead of its release tomorrow and checkout this sweet Q&A with member Dominique Wilson…

ETF: The writing process for “Sleep Running” took three years. Did time reveal new ideas previously unfound in earlier albums? Slow and steady doesn’t match with punk ethos but does it for Baklavaa?

Baklavaa: Over the years, we have felt it best fits our personalities and writing styles to not force anything and allow the ideas room to breathe. There were a few gaps in that three year process where writing felt stagnant, ideas dried up, or we had other priorities in our lives that needed attention. The last thing any of us want was to create something that felt forced or rushed. It’s a learning experience to write a song, put it on the shelf for a few months, then come back to it with a fresh perspective.

ETF: The opening track “Sugar Water” was released as a demo on Bandcamp before Baltimore audio engineer Kevin Bernsten rerecorded it for “Sleep Running.” Besides reinforcing dissonance with persistence, what are some of your favorite changes to the track?

Baklavaa: Our good friend Stone offered to record that song for us. Definitely check out some of their projects (slendermen, spy in the sky, gut fauna). We had a blast recording that demo. We added some impromptu percussion and off the cuff tracks. Recording with Kevin was a bit more calculated on our end, but that was our intention. We like both recordings for different reasons. We switched around some atmospheric guitar layers and played with the vocals a bit more in the album version.

ETF: The placement of the title track “Sleep Running” in the center of the album acts like a shelter from whirling knifes. Safe for a moment, the track features no lyrics as instruments speak when words cannot. Do you feel the track standout from the rest of the album?

Baklavaa: It totally acts as a respite nestled in the center of the record. The track acts as a reset or pause. A moment to gather or reflect. I like to think of the track as entering a dream like state for a moment where time slows down. I’ve always been a fan of records that include a track like this. Something to keep attention and encourage further introspection.

Sleep Running is out Friday, February 28th via 20/20 Records and Tapes / Crass Lips Records. You can preorder the album here.

Baklavaa LIVE 2020

02/28/20 – Baltimore, MD @ Trophy House (Record Release!)

03/06/20 – Baltimore, MD @ Floristree



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