Nashville-based alternative rock duo Sleep Nation unleashes their new project, The Spaceman – Conquest, now available on all digital streaming platforms. The EP was preceded by two singles this month, including “Set Up The Controls” which debuted on Apple Music “New In Alternative” playlist.
Sleep Nation is a Music City-based band composed of Bran Merritt and Joey Lauretta that continues to carve out their place in modern rock ‘n’ roll. Blending rock guitars, gritty synths and modern drum production, they’ve created a sonic signature that’s unmistakably their own with Conquest.
The EP finds Sleep Nation writing with precision and intent, each track carrying a distinct perspective. In “Stardust Slacker,” Merritt sings: “Oh, Stardust Slacker, thief of the night / Leading the lost with a dangerous light / No ties, no guilt, a cosmic disguise / With asteroid eyes.” The figure of the Slacker emerges as a reckless guide — someone who thrives on detachment, pulling others into orbit with nothing to offer but danger. The imagery of “asteroid eyes” makes the character both hypnotic and merciless, setting the tone for the record’s darker corners.
That intensity sharpens further on “Staring Out Into Space,” one of the EP’s most pointed moments: “And suddenly, it all makes sense / A twisted kind of self-awareness / But beauty is a cheap disguise / A mask for hunger, a veil for lies / One billion choke on poisoned streams / While rulers dance on shattered dreams.” The lyrics move from inner revelation to blunt critique, tying personal awakening to global collapse. The song doesn’t soften its message — corruption, environmental decay, and exploitation are laid bare, pushed forward by the track’s escalating tension.
Conquest threads these narratives together, examining masks, illusions, and the hard truth of transformation. The result is a collection that pairs theatrical rock production with lyrics that refuse to look away from the chaos — whether personal or universal.
MORE ABOUT SLEEP NATION: Known for their chaotic, full-throttle shows, Sleep Nation has opened for national acts such as Adema and Sponge, earned nominations at the Josie Awards, and secured placements on Apple Music editorial playlists, Earmilk, and more. Their genre-bending sound pulls from glam rock, alt-pop, and cinematic rock to deliver music that is equal parts raw, theatrical, and immersive.
MORE ABOUT THE FULL PROJECT: Brann Merritt, lead singer, describes the upcoming full project: “The Spaceman is not just a traveler of the cosmos – he’s a harbinger of what’s to come. Sent into the void by a secretive black-budget space program, he vanished beyond a black hole – where time, identity, and reality fractured. He returned no longer human – but something divine and destructive. Now he stands as the first of the Four Horsemen – Conquest – leading not with force, but with seduction, sound, and spectacle. His gospel is music – his pulpit, the stage – his message? The end is already written, and he is only the beginning.”
TRACK LISTING:
1. The Warning
2. Let the Cult Say
3. King
4. Stardust Slacker
5. Staring Out Into Space
6. Up Here
Sleep Nation – Spaceman – Conquest
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