Sleepyhead

Sleepyhead came together as a trio inside an NYU dorm in 1989, shaping a scrappy style that mixed indie pop’s melodic appeal, indie rock’s jangling guitars, and touches of AOR bravado. Although the bassist rotated over time, vocalist/guitarist Chris O’Rourke and drummer/vocalist Rachael McNally remained the constant core, issuing a string of albums that shaped the Amerindie aesthetic through the 1990s and, with occasional later releases, beyond.

Michael Galinsky played bass on the earliest recordings, and the group quickly issued several singles: “Play”/“Too Much Fun” in 1990 and “Fairyboat” in 1991, both on Ric Menck’s Picture Book imprint, plus a split single with Cold Water Flat. Their breakthrough 7-inch, “Punk Rock City USA,” appeared on Slumberland in 1992; the label then backed a full-length version of the same title later that year. The band next signed with Homestead, delivering Starduster in 1994 and Communist Love Songs in 1996. During this period Galinsky co-wrote and directed the 1995 underground feature Half-Cocked.

Sealed Fate became their next home, releasing the Late Night Thinkin’ EP in 1997 and the album The Brighter Shore in 1999. Following that record, Galinsky departed to focus on film work, and Dan Cuddy, previously of Hypnolovewheel, took over on bass. The group toured in support and began sketching new material, yet family milestones, including the birth of O’Rourke and McNally’s first child, interrupted progress. The duo relocated to Boston and resumed recording with producer Mike Deming at his Connecticut facility. In 2004 Derek Van Beever replaced Cuddy, and the band resumed intermittent East Coast performances.

Three fresh tracks cut in 2013, combined with the earlier Deming sessions, formed the fifth album Wild Sometimes, issued by Carrot Top in 2015. The group also appeared on the compilations Fifty@50 in 2015 and A Song a Day Keeps the Pain Away in 2017. Two mid-1990s albums, Starduster and Communist Love Songs, were reissued on vinyl in 2018 by Drawing Room Records under the collective title Future Exhibit Goes Here.