Mission To Sleep confront personal trauma on debut EP ‘Post Youth’
Boston alt-rock band releases four-song EP on Friday, March 25
‘Post Youth’ features February single ‘April Doom’ and three new tracks
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Photo Credit: Sean Guaraldi
BOSTON, MA [March 25, 2022] -- The first word sung by Rob Wu on Mission To Sleep’s new EP Post Youth is “farewell,” arriving just seconds into opening track “Sunday Best.” The final word on the EP is “misery,” ringing out on closing track “Into Thin Air” before a wall of post-hardcore noise and an outro breakdown carries the record home. Paired together, “farewell” and “misery” are a proper thematic bookend to the Boston band’s debut EP, set for March 25 release, as its themes and arches center around Wu letting go of the demons that have plagued his past.
“This EP is called Post Youth because each song is written about an issue I didn't deal with properly while growing up,” Wu says. “Writing these songs over the last several months has been remarkably therapeutic as it gave me the challenging opportunity to look in the mirror and pull these underlying issues to the surface.”
Earlier this year, Mission To Sleep announced their arrival as a band with a seismic new single titled “April Doom.” Now, Post Youth is poised to declare their permanence, the latest chapter in a story that began in 2020 when songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Wu released a handful of tracks as a solo artist under the Mission To Sleep moniker. Since then, the emotive and explosive project has rounded out as an adrenalized quartet, evolving its sonic template from seed to stem with a lineup that positions vocalist and guitarist Wu alongside guitarist Jeff Kuznezov, bassist Justin Viveiros, and drummer Jon DeSousa.
Across Post Youth’s four tracks are an amalgam of styles and sounds that incorporate elements of post-rock, indie, post-hardcore, ambient cinematic soundscapes to enhance Mission To Sleep’s alternative and hard rock foundation. February’s “April Doom” centered around losing a loved one to cancer, with each section of the song corresponding to a different stage of grief: depression, anger, denial, and acceptance. The striking “Sunday Best” deals with bullying, depression, and self-harm, its protagonist inviting antagonists to a party, asking them to dress up, so they can witness him commit suicide. The atmospheric, hymnal-like “If I Could” dwells in how we shape and limit our lives to satiate others, and become caught living lives we never wanted or envisioned. Finally, EP closer “Into Thin Air is a melodic “fuck you” to those who abandoned loved ones; in this personal case, Wu bravely admits that it’s about his father.
“Post Youth is a creative response to life events that have had a tremendous impact,” says Wu. “So I’m really proud to let this out into the wild. Sonically, we wanted to put out songs that capture and marry the different styles of music that excites us. It is equal parts melodic, heavy, ambient, catchy, emotional and dynamic.”
And all of those things are amplified by Mission To Sleep’s final form as a quartet, with each member bringing his own musical precision to the fold. The music of Mission To Sleep is layered, heavy, and emotionally driven, a testament to the assembled foursome who show off an impressive batch of musical DNA that extends back to their previous bands and projects like Keep Me Conscious, Que Sera, Goddess of My Religion, Echoes of Petra, ColorGrave, She Rides, The Year Million, Marianas, Rival Cinema, and others. Add in mixing and mastering of the EP by Eric Mitchell, who recently mastered the forthcoming GlassJaw triple vinyl box set and acts as the hardcore legends’ touring front of house sound tech, and the players involved show a heightened sense of accomplishment.
“We've all known each other for 10-plus years and had always admired each other's bands,” says Wu. “In fact, Jeff and I have tried working together a few times over the last decade but nothing ever came to life. When he and I started talking again last year, we were in similar head spaces, both creatively and personally, so it just made sense to bring him in as a collaborator. When we added Justin and Jon, it became very clear we had a group with a collective drive and passion to turn this into something beyond a solo project. We're already excited about writing new music together.”
But not before showing off the work that has been put in over the past several months, a trying time for any collaborative unit navigating life in the pandemic age. Wu’s long-standing friendship with the newest members of Mission To Sleep instantly paid off, and the chemistry within the group elicits that of a veteran collective.
“Jon hits hard and with a lot of intent. He brings a punk/hardcore drumming energy to the group that gives our songs a lot of intensity. Justin knows exactly when to dig in or lay off with his bass and his tone is so dialed in – it really brings the rhythm section to life. Jeff just writes really beautiful textures that have so much emotion and complement my vocals and guitars very well. He's a really tasteful player. They all are.”
The band hopes others will soon share their music with the same passion, enjoying it, dissecting it, and becoming intimate with its various sonic waves that help propel it out of the speakers. From “Sunday Best” to “Into Thin Air” and throughout the EP’s 18-minute runtime, the record’s glacial weight allows room to touch on several different genre labels and affiliations, without settling into any specific one. “We've spent a lot of time writing and crafting, pouring our souls and energy into this EP,” Wu concludes. “We think it will resonate with a lot of people.”
Farewell, misery.
Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to Mission To Sleep at missiontosleep@gmail.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
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Mission To Sleep is:
Rob Wu: Vocals and guitar
Jeff Kuznezov: Guitar
Justin Viveiros: Bass
Jon DeSousa: Drums
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‘Post Youth’ track breakdown by Rob Wu:
“Sunday Best”: “It’s about dealing with bullying and depression with self-harm. In the song, the subject invites the antagonists to a party, asking them to wear their 'Sunday Best' -- clothes meant for special occasions -- to watch him commit suicide.”
“April Doom”: “This one is about losing a loved one to cancer and each section of the song actually corresponds to a different stage of grief: depression, anger, denial, and acceptance.”
“If I Could”: “It's about living a lie to satiate others. I think more often than not, people follow a path that others expect of them -- be it parents, partners, or society. There's a lot of miserable people in the world who are feeling stuck with a life they never wanted to begin with; this song is an anthem for breaking free from saving face.”
“Into Thin Air”: It's a melodic fuck you to anyone who has ever abandoned us. I think the lyrics could apply to any scenario... but in my instance, it's about my father.
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‘Post Youth’ production credits:
All songs written, performed, recorded and produced by Mission To Sleep
Jesse Hanson plays violin on “If I Could”
Produced and recorded by Rob Wu
Mixed and mastered by Eric Mitchell
Artwork by Rob Wu
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Mission To Sleep bio:
When Mission To Sleep began crafting their debut EP Post Youth in late 2021, it quickly became songwriter and producer Rob Wu's therapeutic outlet. “It's titled Post Youth because these songs resurface and confront past issues I never came to terms with,” Wu admits. The introspective EP, out March 2022, dives deep into themes of death, self-harm, and depression, yet subconsciously leaves listeners with an underlying feeling of hope and acceptance.
Sonically, the Boston-based quartet blends elements of post-rock, cinematic ambience, and post-grunge into a sound that is simultaneously colossal yet delicate. Each song is deliberately crafted by guitarist Jeff Kuznezov, bassist Justin Viveiros, and drummer Jon DeSousa while multi-instrumentalist singer Rob Wu juxtaposes the tidal wave of sound with a vocal delivery that teeters between breathy vulnerability and post-hardcore aggression. The result is an aural experience that is equal parts heavy, dark, raw, and uplifting.
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‘Post Youth’ EP artwork:
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The music of Mission To Sleep can be hard on:
Banks Radio Australia, Bay State Rock, BumbleBee Radio, Christian’s Cosmic Corner on Mark Skin Radio, Code Zero Radio, Everything You Know Is Wrong on Salem State WMWM, Friday Original Music Showcase, From The Strait, New England New Jams, Rising with Skybar on WMFO Tufts, The Menace's House of Music on Fun Rock Radio Norway, Your First Listen on KNNZ Fargo, and other fine stations, shows and playlists.
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Media praise for ‘April Doom’:
"It's a beautiful song. I hope as we listen to this we can all relate to the collective grief that we all go through when we lose somebody." _Carmelita of Bay State Rock
“Powerful, engaging, and equally evocative. A flowing hybrid of hard rock, alternative, and post-grunge that is grounded and reflective, yet biting and punchy.” _UNXIGNED
“Heaviness paired with great atmosphere. I love this.” _York Calling
“Beautifully crafted with sharp and strong production on all technical fronts.” _Destroy/Exist
“Vocals drift beautifully; the bass is killer; soaring lead guitar adds an overarching lift… just a great song.” _RMP Magazine
“There’s no denying the emotional power of the vocals.” _Girl at the Rock Show
“There’s an intensity and a powerful ambience here. What a massive sound.” _Common Sense
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Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to Mission To Sleep at missiontosleep@gmail.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
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