The Sleepover Disaster’s fifth release, Hover, may very well be regarded as their first. While previous releases were well-received, Hover presents the band on a new full-length album backed by the record label to which they recently signed. Stepping to new heights, the Fresno three-piece successfully solidifies a place within the West Coast indie scene with their take on shoegazey dreampop. Their wall of sound distorts reality with frequent pitch changes and cumulate ambient noises that almost make it difficult to believe the band doesn’t boast more members. It’s intoxicating and epic. This is the stuff that makes your eyes roll into the back of your head.
Hover opens with “Friend,” an uplifting atmospheric affirmation piece. The track elevates with a soaring chorus and a flood of saturated guitars over a fluttering of drums. The album continues with a variation of introspective tracks, such as the following, “Code Breaker,” and more upbeat numbers like, “On A Sunday.” The tracklist is not without its fair share of loveliness, reaching its pretty peak on “Make You Sing,” an immersing song touting the transformative qualities of even the simplest of acts.
The album concludes with “Songwriting for Dummies,” a somewhat melancholy track with a steady, marching rhythm that only adds to its demure progression. “It’s a losing fight, so turn this chaos into light,” Luke Giffen sings in an emotive close to the motion picture soundtrack that is Hover, foretelling the end of an era where one lost belief can breathe life to new hope. (Devil in the Woods)
