Iress once again blesses us with another dose of beautiful sonic depression on their new album Sleep Now, In Reverse (Church Road Records). The Los Angeles-based band weaves between genres drifting between darker ominous tones ranging from emotionally heavy to lighter breezy speculation. This is displayed in “Ever Under” which takes you soaring into the sunset from the haunted places in the Hollywood Hills. Dynamically once again everything is perfect. Michelle Malley’s vocals lurk around the corner of grunge-influenced riffage recalling bands like Curve or Lush rather than the doomy zip codes they once occupied. This album finds Malley’s vocals sitting up front in the mix as more of a focal point than the more atmospheric texture they once created.
[VAMPSTER] IRESS: Sleep Now, in Reverse
„Sleep Now, In Reverse“ ist gleichermaßen heavy und gefühlvoll, kann aber nicht immer zupacken. Zwischendurch gibt es da einige Momente, in denen sich die Musik ein wenig zieht, hin und wieder wirken die Instrumentalisten zudem etwas unterspannt – siehe „Mercy“ – und könnten etwas zwingender agieren. Und doch klimaxen IRESS mit dem unfassbar schönen „Sanctuary“, das sich zu einem kleinen Epos mausert und das Album sehr versöhnlich enden lässt. Am Ende der 50 Minuten ist von Abkühlung keine Spur – durch IRESS fühlt sich die Nacht noch etwas schwüler an. Der Soundtrack zur Sommerromanze? Bestimmt. Ob aus dieser Affäre eine Langzeitbeziehung wird? Die Chancen stehen nicht schlecht.
[KERRANG] MAGAZINE] Album review: Iress – Sleep Now, In Reverse
Active on the Los Angeles underground since 2010, moody quartet Iress finally look set to attract wider attention after a clutch of self-released and low-key albums. That time has been spent becoming more than the sum of their parts, said components being the desolate beauty of singer Michelle Malley’s voice and her band’s considered blend of shoegaze and post-metal. On this new full-length, the latter’s straightforward appeal gains greater emotional impact from the mournful vocal melodies, which in turn benefit from the graceful power of the musical context.
Perfectly chosen singles Falling and The Remains encapsulate the appeal of Iress, slowburning tunes which cast a compelling spell as they gradually reveal their magic. Ever Under is a showcase for Michelle’s ability to project poignancy in both subtle and stormy settings, while sort-of title track In Reverse sounds like ethereal art school types Bat For Lashes or Florence & The Machine given a chunky-riffed makeover. Speaking of which, Knell Mera finds the band at their most explicitly metallic, even if the grandiose doom on offer co-exists with understated and portentous gothy verses.
The enveloping mood that persists throughout Sleep Now, In Reverse is conjured so wholly that some of its songs struggle to emerge through the gloom. Closing track Deep offers a modest corrective, stripping things back to just Michelle’s fragile vocals and a simple, heavily-reverbed guitar figure. The raw intimacy on display suggests that Iress would benefit from exploring the boundaries of their sound a little more next time. There is, however, plenty here in which to lose yourself, a sonic sanctuary for those willing to wallow in exquisite melancholy.
Verdict: 3/5
For fans of: Slow Crush, Spotlights, Chelsea Wolfe
[DECIBEL MAGAZINE] Album Premiere & Interview: Iress – ‘Sleep Now, In Reverse’
Los Angeles’ Iress is set to bring a beautiful touch of doom to this heavy summer with their fourth full-length album, Sleep Now In Reverse, out Friday on Dune Altar. Deepening their craft, blending shoegaze, doom, and post-rock, when asked to describe the album in five words or less, frontwoman Michelle Malley was considered in her response: “Seductive. Dynamic. Emotional. Melodic. Cathartic.” We couldn’t agree more. For fans of Faetooth and Chelsea Wolfe, you can preorder the record here. While you await its arrival, enjoy an exclusive full album stream below. As a special treat, we caught up with the “Adele of L.A. Doom” herself to discuss Iress’ evolution, creative process, and the themes that shape their music.
[METAL TRENCHES] Iress- Sleep Now, In Reverse (Album Review)
For over a decade now Los Angeles based Iress has been offering their own take on shoegaze, doom, alternative rock, and everything in between. Where some of the other bands in this space used doom as their foundation and layered the softer, dreamier textures over top, Iress has often felt more rock and shoegaze forward with a metallic sheen. Each of their full lengths has continued to tweak and revise this formula, with Sleep Now, In Reverse presenting the most complete version of their vision to date. Like the path Spotlights took on their last effort, Iress has varied the tempo more and incorporated even more musical styles while still retaining their somber beauty and heavier foundation. It’s a bit more immediate than its predecessors while providing plenty of details to uncover upon repeat listens, and showcases this group only seems to be getting better with age.
[DEMONIC-NIGHTS.AT] Iress – Sleep Now, In Reverse
Exakt dieses Spiel mit Klangräumen und Erwartungen macht das dritte Album dieser Band so faszinierend. „Sleep Now, In Reverse“ haftet zugleich etwas Vertrautes und doch Widersprüchliches an. Man glaubt zu wissen, wohin die Reise geht, lässt sich aber wiederholt und mit wachsender Begeisterung überraschen. Diese kleinen, überaus feinen Zuckungen, das Spiel mit intensivsten Gefühlen und das tiefe Eintauchen in die Untiefen des Seins, von bittersüßer Melodik und einer wahrlich herausragenden, einzigartigen Stimmung begleitet, schaffen immersiven Hörgenuss der herausragenden Sorte. Iress schütteln eine kleine Schönheit von einem Album aus dem Ärmel, der man sich nicht entziehen kann.
[METAL EPIDEMIC] IRESS – Sleep Now, In Reverse
Join Dave & Duncan as they review the new album from Los Angeles-based dream metal band, IRESS.
[POWERMETAL.DE] IRESS - SLEEP NOW, IN REVERSE
"Sleep Now, In Reverse" von IRESS ist ein spannender Longplayer geworden. Auch wenn keine einzelnen Songs hervorstechen, funktioniert die Scheibe mit ihrem Gesamtkonzept wunderbar. Wenn man sich auf die Musik einlässt, kann sie einen aus dem Alltag herausholen, zum Träumen einladen und in entspannte Sphären katapultieren.
[GBHBL] Album Review: Iress – Sleep Now, In Reverse (Church Road Records / Dune Altar)
With anticipation having reached feverish levels, Iress finally bring us Sleep Now, In Reverse, and it is a very special album. One that can be difficult to describe as Iress’ sound is unconventional. How do you describe Iress to someone who has never heard a single note of theirs but is taken in by the ‘dream metal’ moniker?
Think of it like pop-doom, with heavy and despondent atmosphere. With that, you are kind of on the right path, but then throw in a lot of emotion, and the picture becomes clearer. Especially once the loveliness of the opening track Falling is heard. Oozing melancholic vibes, there’s a ‘shoegaze’ touch to the instruments, and the vocals drift and soar through the mind. Resulting in something so surreal, that you inevitably start to sink into the Iress sound.
[BOOLIN TUNES] ALBUM REVIEW: Iress – Sleep Now, In Reverse
Sleep Now, In Reverse seeks patient and repeat listeners who are ready to crank the volume – not to be crushed, but to pick up every detail of Malley’s amazing performance, and find all of the pretty minutae within Iress’ purple haze. I hope such listeners are not hard for the band to find – given the immense strength of the record, this should be their defining moment.