SLEEP have announced Hemispheres, their first full-length album in eight years. It arrives September 3 digitally and October 30 in physical formats via Jack White's Third Man Records, and it is the follow-up to 2018's The Sciences.
It is also the first SLEEP record made without founding guitarist Matt Pike, who continues to front HIGH ON FIRE. For a band whose entire mythology rests on the low-end conversation between Pike and Al Cisneros, that is not a small adjustment — and the lineup Cisneros assembled to replace it is the most interesting thing about the announcement.
The founding singer-bassist is joined on Hemispheres by drummer Dale Crover, whose CV runs through the MELVINS and REDD KROSS, and by guitarist Bubba Dupree of Maryland hardcore legends VOID. Crover is close to an obvious pick; nobody would raise an eyebrow. Dupree, a player revered in a completely different corner of underground music, is the choice nobody saw coming.
According to Cisneros, the chemistry declared itself the moment the three of them plugged in.
"The vibe of the first jam was obvious," he said. "It was blue sunglasses-era Iommi in the quality, and equally awesome is Bubba is also one of the coolest people I've been able to make music with."
A new single, "The Morrisist," is streaming now. It follows "Have Spacesuit Will Travel," which appeared in June as the first sign of life from the reactivated band.
"Hemispheres" track listing:
- Have Spacesuit Will Travel
- The Morrisist
- Hemispheres
- Arrival Of The Industry Ships
- Whole Wheat Mountain Well Baked
SLEEP will launch a summer/fall 2026 tour on September 8 in San Diego, California. The band's most recent live activity was a run of roughly half a dozen shows in 2022.
The road to Hemispheres has not been quiet. In January 2025, drummer Jason Roeder revealed that he had been "unceremoniously fired by SLEEP's manager over the phone back in November," adding that he had not "spoken to Al or Matt in months and that brings some peace to my life that I am thankful for."