Biography

Originally the project of Snowdroppers' Jeremy Davidson, Triple J DJ Dom Alessio, and guitarist Jonathan Khor, sleepmakeswaves was born properly in 2006 when Khor advertised for members on MySpace to form a new post-rock group using the original project's name. Drafting Alex Wilson (bass), Tom Binetter (guitars), and William Smith (drums), the newly formed four-piece set about practicing and recording their first demos. In 2007, their self-titled two-track demo appeared online for free, and, with a growing fan base, the group released their first proper EP, In Today Already Walks Tomorrow, a year later on Australia's Bird's Robe Records. In a strange turn of events, the track "One Day, You Will Teach Me to Let Go of My Fears" appeared on a fan-made Twilight video posted on YouTube. Within a few days, the video had amassed a huge number of views and in turn generated a huge buzz for the group, with the track being downloaded over 50,000 times. The following year, the group went on a national tour with American post-metal outfit Pelican and also issued a split EP with fellow Australian outfit Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, before guitarist Tom Binetter announced he was leaving the band. Recruiting Otto Wicks-Green as a replacement, the group headed to the Wingello State Forest in New South Wales to start recording its debut album. Released in 2011, ...And So We Destroyed Everything saw the four-piece expanding its palette by dabbling with electronics, and with positive reviews, the album cemented the group's place as Australia's premier post-rock outfit. Tours supporting Russian Circles, Mono, and Boris further raised sleepmakeswaves' profile and enabled them to take on tours of the U.S. and Europe in 2012. Returning to Australia for another national tour and support slots with Tortoise, the band's debut album received a nomination for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album at the 2012 ARIAs, and at the beginning of 2013, the group announced the release of the remix album ...And Then They Remixed Everything. They signed with U.K. label Monotreme Records in June 2013, which reissued the band's debut album to an international audience with the remix album as a bonus. Love of Cartography followed on Bird's Robe in 2014, with Tim Adderley replacing Smith on drums. The record was their most popular to date, reaching number 31 on Australia's albums chart. Amid continued touring that included regular festival appearances, founder Khor left the group and was replaced by Daniel Oreskovic for sleepmakeswaves' third studio LP, 2017's Made of Breath Only. ~ Rich Wilson, Rovi