Leagues Beneath

"Leagues Beneath"
Single by Sleep
ReleasedMay 23, 2018 (2018-05-23)
Genre
Length16:44
Label
Songwriter(s)Al Cisneros
Sleep singles chronology
"The Clarity"
(2014) 		"Leagues Beneath"
(2018)
Audio sample

"Leagues Beneath" is a single by the American stoner doom band Sleep. The song was released for free digitally on May 23, 2018 through Adult Swim's 2017 singles series,[2] marking Sleep's second entry following 2014's "The Clarity".[3] "Leagues Beneath" was released a month after the band's 2018 return album, The Sciences, which marked Sleep's first full-length studio release in twenty years.[4] Later in 2018, "Leagues Beneath" was released on etched vinyl through Third Man Records.[5][6]

Composition

Musically, "Leagues Beneath" is a long, slow epic that begins with B-tuned guitar and gradually builds by introducing new elements.[7] Al Cisneros' vocals are not heard until nearly six minutes into the track. After the song's protracted crescendo, it concludes with a somber passage where layers strip away and give way to clean, psychedelic string sounds.[7] Phil Witmer of Vice praised "Leagues Beneath", writing that it is "possibly bigger than anything on The Sciences",[7] and Brock Thiessen of Exclaim! called it "sprawling" and "a total scorcher".[8] Revolver wrote that the song is "droning, transcendental, [and] punctuated with next-level riffing."[9] At nearly seventeen minutes, "Leagues Beneath" is the group's longest track since 1999's "Dopesmoker" and, by some metrics, constitutes an EP.[10]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Leagues Beneath"16:44

Personnel

Sleep

References

  1. ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  2. ^ Blais-Billie, Braudie (23 May 2018). "Sleep Share New Song 'Leagues Beneath': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  3. ^ Helman, Peter (23 May 2018). "Sleep – 'Leagues Beneath'". Stereogum. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  4. ^ Camp, Zoe (23 May 2018). "Hear Sleep's Smoldering New One-Off Song 'Leagues Beneath'". Revolver. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  5. ^ Cush, Andy. "Sleep's 'Leagues Beneath' Is Coming to Vinyl via Third Man Records". Spin. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "Sleep's 'Leagues Beneath' Limited Aquamarine Vinyl Available in Select Stores". Blabbermouth.net. 14 August 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Witmer, Phil. "Sleep's New Song 'Leagues Beneath' Is an Aquatic Doom Epic". Vice. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  8. ^ Thiessen, Brock. "Sleep Release New 16-Minute-Plus Epic "Leagues Beneath"". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  9. ^ "6 New Songs You Need to Hear This Week: 5/25/18". Revolver. 25 May 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  10. ^ Kennelty, Greg (23 May 2018). "Sleep Releases New 16-Minute Song 'Leagues Beneath,' Which Was Not On Their New Album The Sciences". Metal Injection. Retrieved May 24, 2018.