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Breakout Band Sleep Theory Release Debut Album 'Afterglow'

Breakout Band Sleep Theory Release Debut Album 'Afterglow'

Scoop19-05-2025
Breakout four-piece Sleep Theory —vocalistCullen Moore, guitaristDaniel Pruitt, bassist Paolo Vergara, and drummer Ben Pruitt— have released theireagerly awaiteddebut album,Afterglow, via Epitaph Records.
The album offers astunning display of diverse rock flavors andwas produced by David Cowell andmixed by Zakk Cervini (Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Architects).
To celebrate the release, Sleep Theory havealso shared the video for 'Gravity.'
The song, with its pop-inspiredbounce, heady grooves, generously sprinkled synths, and Moore's soulful, arena-sized voice, is about the winners and losers who keep playing the game of love.
"'Gravity' is really just a classic R&B story— it's about that real chemistry you sometimes feel with someone, even when the timing's not perfect," Moore explains. "I wanted it to feel confident, a little flirty, and very 2000s — something that could've played in the background of a scene in a throwback movie."
He yanks the curtain back a little more, saying, "'Gravity'actually came together back in 2021, before we even knew we were going to do a full album.I wasn't thinking in terms of a big project yet — I was just writing whatever felt good at the time.A big inspiration was the song 'No Guidance'by Chris Brown and Drake. It had this smooth, confident energy that really stuck with me. I wanted 'Gravity' to have a similar vibe — something that feels cool and effortless but still has emotion behind it.Even visually, I was thinking of that same kind of late night, moody feel."
In other Sleep Theory news, the album's lead single 'Stuck In My Head,' ascended to the No. 1 spoton the Active Rock radio charts —a first for the band! The single "Static" is currently at No. 19 on the activerock charts, the album's fourthsingle to appear in the Top 20. All told, Sleep Theory have accumulated 350million streams across 10 singles in their brief but blockbuster career thus far.
Sleep Theory combineenergetic hard rock and metalcore, alongside the powerhouse vocalist Cullen Moore. Praised by Jelly Roll and David Draiman, they've toured with Shinedown, Falling In Reverse, and Beartooth. In under two years, they became the fifth most-played artist on Active Rock radio.Afterglowand thePaper HeartsEP merge heavy rock with pop and R&B, producing anthemic bangers and emotional ballads. Saluted byRevolver, Loudwire, and Amazon Music as an Artist to Watch in 2025, they've become one of heavy music's biggest breakouts. WithAfterglow, the quartetprovesready to ascend to the next level. Sleep Theory deliver the dynamic, heavy bounce and massive vocal hooks that the rock world desperately needs. Moore is a powerhouse singer who outmatches nearly all his peers, recalling the most classic and timeless pop, R&B, and rock 'n' roll vocalists of the last several decades. Sleep Theory push themselves creatively at every turn, catapulting the genre to new sonic heights.
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Welcome to the New Voices of Aotearoa list
Welcome to the New Voices of Aotearoa list

The Spinoff

time12-06-2025

  • The Spinoff

Welcome to the New Voices of Aotearoa list

A new competition 'aimed at identifying, nurturing and increasing readership and sales for brilliant new emerging writing talent' has arrived. The New Voices of Aotearoa is a just-announced annual competition where 10 writers – either nominated by their publishers, or nominated by themselves – are selected and celebrated as 'the country's ten best upcoming authors to read and follow'. The 10 writers for 2025 were chosen by a 'heavy weight' judging panel including celebrated writer Lee Murray, who said that 'choosing just 10 from over 30 worthy nominations generated some robust discussion.' The new competition was created by The Coalition for Books, a membership organisation 'tasked with delivering strategic initiatives with the aims of reaching and engaging more audiences with a diverse range of New Zealand books and authors, and enhancing the visibility and sales of New Zealand books.' The 10 selected writers do not receive any money but will be the subject of a promotional campaign that begins today, June 12, including interviews, videos, stickers and bookmarks that will go to libraries and booksellers, digital posters and social media assets. There will also be local events with the New Voices writers over the next few months (details to come). Coalition for Books chair Melanie Laville-Moore says 'the initiative shines a spotlight on the 10 best new voices in Aotearoa writing each year, making it easy for readers to know who to look out for in store and online.' The inaugural New Voices of Aotearoa are: Wellington essayist Una Cruickshank (author of The Chthonic Cycle); Raglan journalist, videographer and nature writer Kate Evans (author of Feijoa); Gisborne trapper, environmentalist and author Sam Gibson (author of Sam the Trap Man); Auckland actor, producer, radio host and author Matt Heath (author of A Life Less Punishing); Christchurch editor and writer of techno-thrillers, science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction Judy Mohr (author of Dancing in the Purple Rain); Wellington novelist Olive Nuttall (author of Kitten); Wellington taangata turi-raised anthologist and novelist Michelle Rahurahu (Ngāti Rahurahu, Ngāti Tahu–Ngāti Whaoa) (author of Poorhara); Auckland novelist and reviewer Josie Shapiro (Author of Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts); Auckland novelist and podcaster Saraid de Silva (author of AMMA); and Auckland television screen writer and producer and author Gavin Strawhan (author of The Call). All of the 10 writers are authors of adult fiction or nonfiction (the competition excludes writers of children's books). New Voices of Aotearoa 2025 was judged by reviewer and former books editor of The Dominion Post and books and culture editor of the New Zealand Listener Guy Somerset; author, editor, podcaster, and curator of the Nelson Arts Festival's literary programme Pukapuka Talks Kerry Sunderland; fiction writer, and mentor for the Māori Literature Trust's Te Papa Tupu programme and the NZ Society of Authors Jacquie McRae (Tainui and Ngāti Koata); editor, manuscript assessor, mentor and revered former publisher Harriet Allan; Unity Books Wellington buyer and writer Melissa Oliver; and five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner and recipient of the New Zealand Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement in Fiction, Lee Murray. To qualify for New Voices of Aotearoa, authors nominated must have published their first book in print between March 2024 and June 2025, or have their second book scheduled for publication before December 2025. They must be either New Zealanders by birth, have New Zealand citizenship or be long-term residents of Aotearoa. The Coalition for Books expects that the New Voices of Aotearoa brand will grow over time and will become known and trusted. They're comparing the campaign to the Granta Best Young British Novelists which, in 2023, included New Zealand writer Eleanor Catton. The Granta list comes only every 10 years and includes 20 authors under the age of 40. Granta publishes an anthology of the writers' work and has been running the campaign since 1983. New Voices of Aotearoa has no upper age cap and will happen every year. Nomination details for the 2026 competition are not yet available.

Drain Announce New Album '...Is Your Friend'
Drain Announce New Album '...Is Your Friend'

Scoop

time09-06-2025

  • Scoop

Drain Announce New Album '...Is Your Friend'

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Breakout Band Sleep Theory Release Debut Album 'Afterglow'
Breakout Band Sleep Theory Release Debut Album 'Afterglow'

Scoop

time19-05-2025

  • Scoop

Breakout Band Sleep Theory Release Debut Album 'Afterglow'

Breakout four-piece Sleep Theory —vocalistCullen Moore, guitaristDaniel Pruitt, bassist Paolo Vergara, and drummer Ben Pruitt— have released theireagerly awaiteddebut album,Afterglow, via Epitaph Records. The album offers astunning display of diverse rock flavors andwas produced by David Cowell andmixed by Zakk Cervini (Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Architects). To celebrate the release, Sleep Theory havealso shared the video for 'Gravity.' The song, with its pop-inspiredbounce, heady grooves, generously sprinkled synths, and Moore's soulful, arena-sized voice, is about the winners and losers who keep playing the game of love. "'Gravity' is really just a classic R&B story— it's about that real chemistry you sometimes feel with someone, even when the timing's not perfect," Moore explains. "I wanted it to feel confident, a little flirty, and very 2000s — something that could've played in the background of a scene in a throwback movie." He yanks the curtain back a little more, saying, "'Gravity'actually came together back in 2021, before we even knew we were going to do a full album.I wasn't thinking in terms of a big project yet — I was just writing whatever felt good at the time.A big inspiration was the song 'No Guidance'by Chris Brown and Drake. It had this smooth, confident energy that really stuck with me. I wanted 'Gravity' to have a similar vibe — something that feels cool and effortless but still has emotion behind visually, I was thinking of that same kind of late night, moody feel." In other Sleep Theory news, the album's lead single 'Stuck In My Head,' ascended to the No. 1 spoton the Active Rock radio charts —a first for the band! The single "Static" is currently at No. 19 on the activerock charts, the album's fourthsingle to appear in the Top 20. All told, Sleep Theory have accumulated 350million streams across 10 singles in their brief but blockbuster career thus far. Sleep Theory combineenergetic hard rock and metalcore, alongside the powerhouse vocalist Cullen Moore. Praised by Jelly Roll and David Draiman, they've toured with Shinedown, Falling In Reverse, and Beartooth. In under two years, they became the fifth most-played artist on Active Rock thePaper HeartsEP merge heavy rock with pop and R&B, producing anthemic bangers and emotional ballads. Saluted byRevolver, Loudwire, and Amazon Music as an Artist to Watch in 2025, they've become one of heavy music's biggest breakouts. WithAfterglow, the quartetprovesready to ascend to the next level. Sleep Theory deliver the dynamic, heavy bounce and massive vocal hooks that the rock world desperately needs. Moore is a powerhouse singer who outmatches nearly all his peers, recalling the most classic and timeless pop, R&B, and rock 'n' roll vocalists of the last several decades. Sleep Theory push themselves creatively at every turn, catapulting the genre to new sonic heights.

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