''My Own Dead Love''(2025) - Sleepersound | Interview

''Our music is not meant to be sad or melancholic, but rather a refuge—a way to quiet the noise of the world and tune into the subtler rhythms within''

‘‘Our music is not meant to be sad or melancholic, but rather a refuge—a way to quiet the noise of the world and tune into the subtler rhythms within… a refuge we want to share with anyone willing to take the time. It seeks to slow us down, to soften the weight of internal and external chaos, and to open space for the gentle, manifold impressions of something as simple as the scent of lavender.’’ - Dave D’Antonio

Introducing Sleepersound, the electrifyingly peaceful Milwaukee band that masterfully blends atmospheric rock with world music influences to create an immersive listening experience. With their new album, "My Own Dead Love," the band invites you to embark on a sonic journey that transcends boundaries and explores the depths of emotion. Drawing inspiration from Mogwai, Radiohead, and Godspeed! You Black Emperor, while intertwining the rich rhythms and textures of Sahara-African artists like Tinariwen, Ali Farka Touré, and Mdou Moctar.

Sleepersound crafts a sound that is both hauntingly beautiful and refreshingly original. A sound which exudes comfortable melancholy and in no way leaves you in desolation. In contrast, the new album ‘‘My Own Dead Love’’ is uplifting and comforting. Taking direct influences from Chopin's first piano concerto and Tchaikovsky's Symphonie Pathetique, the band demonstrates how ‘‘music has a power in moving our intention from logocentric spaces and helping us occupy other dimensions of thought.’’

Here is an interview with singer and lyricist Dave D’Antonio, bassist Mike Campise and drummer Dan Niedziejko of Sleepersound.

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© Sleepersound | Mike Campise, Dan Niedziejko, Dave D'Antonio

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Just like the previous albums ‘’Idle Voices’’ (2021) and ‘’In Medias Res’’ (2018), ‘’My Own Dead Love’’(2025) has a melancholic quality to it. Where does this melancholy come from and is this something you aim to capture with every musical work?

Dave D'Antonio: Melancholy may be a quality of the sound, but it’s not the goal. Our music is meant to be contemplative, pensive, and deeply resonant—reflecting the state of being that the three of us naturally inhabit. For us, music is a language that articulates what lies in the deepest layers of our consciousness. It isn’t necessarily devoid of joy; in fact, while it carries a certain weight and seriousness, it isn’t inherently sorrowful or negative. Quite the opposite—we create this music with immense joy. Our music is not meant to be sad or melancholic, but rather a refuge—a way to quiet the noise of the world and tune into the subtler rhythms within… a refuge we want to share with anyone willing to take the time. It seeks to slow us down, to soften the weight of internal and external chaos, and to open space for the gentle, manifold impressions of something as simple as the scent of lavender.

Mike Campise: One overarching statement that one can say about this band (and I think we are all doing this even if not explicitly calling it out with these words): Focus, Intent, Projection.

1. We actively focus on our performance and what we are playing, how it sounds, how it will be interpreted, what our hands are doing. Choices.

2. Intent, we play what we intend and we distil what we are feeling to convey that -- we again are making the choices. When we play that song, we are intending it to be a certain way.

3. Projection, by this I mean we exchange energy on our focus, intention and then our execution out to the audience and amongst ourselves. This is meditative and also a way to channel our focus and intent into the energy of the performance. If done well, this is a good show. People will feel it and what results is greater than the sum of all parts... a great energy exchange where the whole room is feeling it. If you love music, you know what I'm talking about.

When I am in the zone, I'm not caring about the weather, I don't care about XYZ, it's the music, put that ordinary stuff away we're on a journey together in the performance and let's ride that wave together.

In terms of the song writing process and the time it took to complete this album, was this album more challenging in any ways than the previous albums?

Dave D'Antonio: The writing process is always time-consuming, and that’s probably the biggest challenge of creating this album. Staying focused on a single song over time—shelving it, then revisiting it from a new perspective, in a different key, time signature, or tempo—makes songwriting an inherently iterative process. In fact, the songs are still evolving. When we perform live, that’s when we feel our music best reflects the true spirit of our writing process. It’s meant to be arranged and rearranged, constantly shifting. The recording is just a snapshot of where the song existed at that particular moment.

Do ‘’Falling Dream’’, ‘’Soma’’, ‘’The Flesh’’ and other songs reference something spiritual or other-worldly?

Dave D'Antonio: It’s actually pretty concrete of this world and very much relational. They reflect gratitude and restoration of relationships. With people we almost lost or did lose whether to death or other factors. And while the direct object of some of these songs is specific and personal, it draws on a feeling of longing and detachment from suffering that is self otherworldly. Happy to elaborate on this later.

How do you view music in the context of spiritualism and religion? What do you think about the concept of music existing as a form of religion for some?

Dave D'Antonio: Music, from the perspective of spiritualism and religion, makes complete sense—just like other forms of art. For millennia, humans across cultures have used these modes of expression to go beyond logic and prose, stepping into a world of gestures, symbols, poetry, chords, and melodies. Through them, we uncover something unspeakable and universal, something deeply rooted in all of us that unites us beyond the boundaries of religion, politics, and geography.

I hadn’t thought of music in quite this way—as a kind of religion for some—but it makes perfect sense. It serves as a conduit to higher powers or to something beyond our comprehension, beyond language itself. In this sense, it aligns with what French phenomenologists described as saturated phenomena—experiences so rich and overwhelming that they exceed our ability to fully grasp them. We’ve also been reflecting a lot lately on an eastern idea of “dimensions of being” and “dimensions of consciousness.” Music has a power in moving our intention from logocentric spaces and helping us occupy other dimensions of thought.

The new album has a deep cinematic feel and sound about it. If this album would be the soundtrack for a film, what would it be about? Which actor would play the main character?

Dave D'Antonio: If this album were a soundtrack for a film, it would accompany a love story that transcends time and space—something in the spirit of Interstellar, with its breathtaking score by Hans Zimmer, a composer we all admire. Or perhaps it would echo the interdimensional love story of Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, another film with an incredible soundtrack by musicians we deeply love. The music is meant to evoke that same sense of vastness, intimacy, and transcendence. But it also touches on the magical realism films by Akira Kuraswa… so if you wanted to intersect here now with literary genres, that would be the literary genre that underpants the music. That scene from 100 years of solitude when yellow butterflies follow one of the main characters nearly everywhere throughout the book… particularly in his love for Meme, marking their forbidden romance. However, beyond this, they take on a deeper, almost mystical significance—representing fate, love, longing, and the lingering presence of the past.

You have been together as a band for almost 10 years now, in terms of keeping the band together, what is the main rule you try to follow to keep everyone happy?

Dave D'Antonio: We’ve been together for almost 10 years, and honestly, it’s been pretty easy because we’ve always prioritized each other as brothers and friends first. That foundation keeps us humble, open to each other’s ideas, and willing to take creative risks. We trust one another enough to fully explore each other’s visions, staying flexible in the process. At the end of the day, we’re in this together, and with that as our premise, any challenges feel much smaller. Things like ego or taking things personally just don’t get in the way. In short, we love each other.

Sleepersound’s music is really artistic, polished and thought provoking, so in the era of mainstream music favouring conformity and being limited in multiple ways, is it easy to keep the artist inside of you inspired to create anything?

Dave D'Antonio: First off, appreciate the love. Our sound? We’re straight up doing our own thing, not following any of the usual rules the industry’s got us stuck in. Really, we’re always making music—every time we plug in, it’s like the floodgates open, and we’re just riding the wave. It’s overwhelming sometimes, we can’t even keep up with the ideas coming at us. When the three of us link up in the lab, writing feels like breathing—ideas flow like water, no effort needed

As Dave D'Antonio is a Catholic school principal on the side, which musical genre or movement should be taught more about in educational institutions and why?

Dave D'Antonio: We need way more funding for art and music programs in schools, especially if we want to move beyond the textbook and get real brushes and instruments in kids’ hands. Music education should be designed to take students out of their own world. It’s about mixing what they already know with the beauty of great music from across the globe and throughout history. Sure, contemporary pop music can be the starting point, that’s cool—but the goal should be to take them to places beyond this planet. Let’s aim higher…

When it comes to starting points, a ton of funding is needed. Back when I was a teacher, I started a drum corps with just buckets and drumsticks—the same way I got my start in music. From there, we kept grinding and ended up earning a $15,000 grant to buy an entire drum line. So, the lesson is clear: big dreams can absolutely come to life, but it all starts with small steps.

You are currently on tour with two more gigs to perform, outside of the United States, which country or city would you love to perform at?

Dave D'Antonio: If we could leave right now, we’d love to play in Naples, Italy, and Mexico City. Naples holds a special place for us because of our family and friends there. Mexico City, on the other hand, draws us with its rich pre-Colombian history and vibrant subculture scene, especially the audience around experimental music, which we’d be excited to perform in front of.

What is a song you would never ever want to hear again?

Dan Niedziejkol: Yummy Yummy Yummy as done by the Ohio Express. The 1910 Fruitgum Company version is a little better, almost a garage rock song. The OE version is INSIPID. It's the kind of earworm the CIA would pipe into a cell to attack your mind during interrogation and waterboarding. I can guarantee my bandmates will wonder how I know about this song, but my early years were consumed with my Snoopy AM Radio and the local bubblegum station. They are too young for this.... LOL.

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