Sleep Party People

Danish multi-instrumentalist Brian Batz makes whispery, otherworldly post-rock under the stage alias Sleep Party People. Based in Copenhagen, Batz and his live backing band are known for wearing rabbit masks in performances and in publicity photos, reinforcing his music's surreal aesthetic. The project's home-recorded, eponymous debut saw release in 2010. Sleep Party People became more collaborative and expansive thereafter; third album Floating from 2014 featured co-producers and guest musicians, as did 2017's Lingering, though Batz's uniquely haunted sound remained constant.

After several years of writing music in bands, Batz began experimenting at home with digitally altered piano and voice; he began uploading these eerie, more introspective songs as Sleep Party People in 2008. After two tracks by the project appeared on a Neh-Owh Records compilation, the full-length Sleep Party People was issued via MBO and Speed of Sound in 2010. Sleep Party People began touring as a five-piece with the arrival of 2012's We Were Drifting on a Sad Song (MBO, Blood & Biscuits). For his third album, Batz worked with outside producers for the first time, enlisting Jeff Saltzman (the Killers, Blondie) and Mikael Johnston (Mephisto Odyssey). Titled Floating, it arrived on MBO and Blood & Biscuits in 2014.

Sleep Party People's debut for U.S. label Joyful Noise Recordings, 2017's Lingering, featured collaborations with singer/songwriter Beth Hirsch and the Antlers' Peter Silberman, among others. His fifth album overall, Lingering, Pt. 2, received a digital release by Joyful Noise in 2018, with a vinyl edition following in 2019. ~ Marcy Donelson