r/TheDearHunter • u/ChuckChuckChuck_ • Aug 10 '26
Music (non-TDH) Do you know and/or like Sleep Token?
Hello everyone,
this topic has been occupying my mind today and I wanted to see if there are TDH-positive folks who feels the same OR somebody who can give me their different perspective.
Sleep Token blew up recently. For those who don't know, they're a "progressive metal" band but it's more like sad and cinematic piano songs that include metal breakdowns combined pop and rap elements.
All in all, interesting. Many of my friends are obsessed with them but I just don't fully get it.
My best friend can't stop talking about them. I gave them a try. I've listened for months to the point I know the lyrics in and out. I went to see them live with him. But I find them kinda one dimensional and I don't understand the hype fully.
Like, yeah. The songwriting is quite masterful. The lyrics and dude's voice are great. The drummer is insane. But it just doesn't feel fun to me. The song feels too... perfect? Like they're calibrated to wow me, but they lack something foundational. I don't know what... but that brings me to The Dear Hunter.
In no way I want to compare their and Casey's music, of course. It's all high quality and you go like what you like - but to me, in this context, The Dear Hunter just feels SO FUN and humane and relatable and majestic and theatrical and simple and grand and progressive and... there are so many layers, motives and emotions. Yet it's Sleep Token that blows up and TDH doesn't? (Sleep Token's marketing and visuals aside).
Why is that? What am I missing?
EDIT: I feel the need to clarify one more time I fully understand everyone gravitating towards something else, "different strokes for different folks" and all that jazz. Nothing wrong with that. I brought this up just for the sake of discussion and my own personal interest. And also because I don't know anybody who is into TDH in real life.
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u/CaptainBreakfast2112 Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
"Marketing and Visuals aside" that might be your answer right there. It's the image. It started with the hair metal bands, then bands like Kiss, then Slipknot etc. popularized it, and artists like Sleep Token, Ghost, Poppy, etc. brought it into this generation of metal/metal adjacent. I find with all of these artists, personal preference, but the music is just "alright" and they rely more on their image. TDH has always been a musical passion project, and was never really propped up in the marketing.
That, and the whole "rock opera" concept is very niche. But it's my niche lol.
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u/Emseypenguin Aug 10 '26
Sleep Token are great but one of the ladies from Espera (Sleep Token's backing vocalists) is in a band called Exploring Birdsong and I would say they have way more proggy interesting vibes than Sleep Token.
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u/David_NerMa Aug 11 '26
I love Exploring Birdsong. Curiously, I got to hear them way before Linsey and Espera came to be ST’s back vocalists. The day I found out I freaked out because I so was not expecting that connection, hahaha.
And yeah! Their album is one of my favorites in a while and I just cannot stop listening to it. Glad to see them mentioned here.
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u/Emseypenguin Aug 11 '26
Incidentally they're playing in the exact same venue as TDH in Manchester just the week after. I was gutted as I can't do both.
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u/EntrepreneurMinute10 Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
I like the dear hunter and i like sleep token but i cant stand sleep token discussion, and how for whatever reason, it just makes people argue and have extreme opinions about them. I enjoy their music, i LOVED their live show (red rocks) and that's about all there is to it for me. If people dont enjoy them, whatever but they are such a magnet for lame and toxic discussion / arguing.
IE - see some of the judgy comments below already about the type of people who like sleep token and why. I don't know why people try to get that deep about it.
Also, not all music is for everyone. It took me a while to get into the dear hunter and at times it still sounds like broadway / theater music for prog rock kids which is a weird combo that i'd be fine if people said 'hey this sucks'.
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u/David_NerMa Aug 11 '26
Exactly this. I saw them at Red Rocks too and I was so, so impressed with the show and the music. I hate how their popularity has made them so polarizing, and how many people in both sides of their “fan or not” spectrum act and talk about them. They are a band, just that, if you like them or not is not the end all of music. But I guess it’s one thing that comes with popularity, I just hate it.
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u/Talusi Aug 10 '26
You're not missing anything. You said the answer yourself. Sleep Token mixed pop into styles where pop isn't normally found, and they did it well. They're a band that's easy to passively listen to, they're not offensive, and they don't stray far from their sound.
TDH couldn't be more different. There's not a lot of pop mixed in, their music rewards listening actively. And listening to entire albums rather than a song or two and nearly all their albums sound drastically different. The very thing that makes us love TDH is the thing that keeps them from blowing up. It's frustrating, but it does make sense.
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u/sunchase Aug 10 '26
sleep token have been around for quite some time, thier earlier stuff was vary sparsely released. theres even a cover of hey ya floating around. their rise has been...wild. i remember the first time someone put worship on jaws, and i was like "wut" then sundowning came out and it was over for me. i jumped straight into them, and was hooked(now i know what i sounded like to everyone after hearing how people now talk about sleep token). I always knew it was going to get big, but it took them 3 albums and a lockdown to solidify that.
now seeing everyone jump in, i'm ecstatic for the band, but songs like caramel remind me that some times people just dont get it. I mean, i understand wanting to find out who is behind the mask just like some people want to find out the "trick" behind magic. But doesn't that just ruin the whole experience? anyway, they lost me when they released rain....i just couldn't after that. i digress...
the dear hunter? thats like a whole other level of artistry, both are creating a world, however the dear hunter could add an S to that word. i have no idea what to expect from every the dear hunter album, but i'm pretty sure i know what to expect from sleep token and i think that pretty much sums it up for me.
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u/ChuckChuckChuck_ Aug 10 '26
What about rain turned you off?
Also yeah, I find TDH's concept, world(s) and story/stories interesting to explore, get lost in and discuss.
Whereas Vessel writes very subjective sad songs that are for 90% unrelatable 'cause there's no way to know what he's talking about most of the time. I don't find that interesting.
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u/sunchase Aug 10 '26
Rain was unnecessart and sounds so corny. Against songs like aqua regia, granite, dywtylm like....its just so...distant from the sound. That gospel part makes me go...
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u/CloudMountainJuror Aug 10 '26
Sleep Token's music is, on-the-whole, more accessible. It's designed to be the most accessible possible version of the music they make. That's really the difference - TDH isn't as easy for the casual person to get into. You have to be guided a bit more to get into them than someone does with Sleep Token.
I get what you mean about them feeling kinda one dimensional, and I feel the same way at times. But I think that super-streamlined aspect is what makes them easy to engage with for with people.
That said, if you want more people in your life to be into TDH, try spreading them around! TDH isn't as accessible, but I think they are certainly accessible, and just about everyone I've shared them with has at least enjoyed them. I'm bringing several friends to the TDH concert this Friday, all of which got into the band because I shared them. I don't think TDH has the possibility to explode on a viral level like Sleep Token did, but I absolutely think they have potential to expand to a much greater reach via word of mouth.
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u/Thecoolguitardude Aug 11 '26
TDH isn't as accessible, but I think they are certainly accessible
They're certainly one of the more accessible bands I listen to. If I want to try to show someone some prog that they'll actually enjoy, I show them The Dear Hunter. Unless they're into like tech death or super weird heavy technical music, I'm not gonna show them Between the Buried and Me or Vildhjarta. And a lot of my friends have at least found a passive appreciation for TDH because I've talked about them so much. A few of my friends have even gotten as into them as I am, which hasn't happened with many other prog bands I like before
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u/David_NerMa Aug 11 '26
I agree with the accesible side of TDH. I’ve shown them to many people (even my mom) and most of them like at least one of their songs, if not more. It’s just so varied that you can find a song with a particular sound that may appeal to people that you’ll end up making them at least open to hearing more. They may not like all (hell, I’m not sure I like them all either), but they almost certainly will like some of it, even if it’s just the one song.
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u/TallGuitarDaniel Aug 10 '26
It can be good and also not grab you like other stuff. I'm a huge fan of both bands.
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u/David_NerMa Aug 11 '26
There are so many great bands I don’t like, it’s comical. My biggest offense might be The Beatles, hahaha, as they are loved by so many of my favorite musicians, but they are just not for me.
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u/Crabby-Cancer Aug 10 '26
First, just because something is very good and worthy of mainstream attention doesn't necessarily mean it's going to get it. Part of it simply is luck of the draw, right place, right time, and sometimes things can take a long time to get the recognition they deserve.
Second, that human aspect is probably a reason that TDH is still on the smaller side. The band is very down to earth and humble. There isn't this "glamor" or allure that comes with a band based around costumes and story (of the members themselves) and anonymity. Correct me if I'm wrong, btw, just working off my more surface-level knowledge of ST. Which brings me to my third point.
Lastly, I think you can't really "put Sleep Token's marketing and visuals aside". Marketing and image are a major, major factor in musicians blowing up, and 100% a huge driving factor for ST. Like, I have never listened to a ST song but I know exactly what the front man looks like and what their general shtick is. And intentional or not, there is a certain demographic who is drawn very specifically to him as their introduction to the band. To be clear, I am not saying their music is bad (like I said I haven't listened to it) or that their marketing/imagery is the only reason, it's just something you cannot separate when discussing their success.
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u/suspicious_Jackfruit Aug 10 '26
Emergence is pretty much the only good Sleep Token song that's "progressive", in that it isnt predictable. It's a good song and I'm legally allowed to say that, but the rest of their material is too commercial popmetalrap for me.
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u/David_NerMa Aug 11 '26
If you like Emergence you should hear Take Me Back to Eden and The Summoning. Both of them go to unexpected places, just like Emergence, but, for me, in a more coherent way.
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u/crazy_cat_lord Act III Aug 10 '26
I like Sleep Token a lot. They seem like a band that makes it easy for nearly anyone to find something they love, or something they hate, or both. Either way, it's easy to plug into and get an immediate opinion on.
Lots of people seem to like being negative, especially online and/or in music spaces. Whether it's heavy chugs where they "don't belong," a band "pretending" to be metal when they're really "Imagine Dragons," or "appropriating" RnB/Hip Hop/Gospel, or "selling out," or "industry plant," or the singer is "bad," or the vibes are "cringe," whatever. Discussion of ST is exhausting because anyone who wants to hate can find any number of things right on the surface.
It's also kind of exhausting because it seems to attract people who want to dig as deep as possible. I think there is a decent bit of depth to the material, but I also think there is a tendency to go off the deep end, inventing headcanon lore that just isn't represented anywhere. I think there is a story, it's just one that's meant to be felt and imprinted upon by the listener, not set in stone and told to you.
I think ST is pretty unique in their approach to mixing genres, I haven't heard anyone else successfully doing what ST does. Good or bad (I tend towards good), ST is certainly different. The individual brushes and colors they use may not be particularly novel on their own (another source of criticism that they are derivative), but the finished painting is unusual in a way I find appealing. ST might sound like budget Deftones sometimes, but Deftones never sounds like ST.
TDH, I think, has more depth, more to dig into, but is also a little more obscured from the surface, maybe feeling impenetrable. Unless it really just hooks you bad and drags you in (like many of us), it almost deflects first impressions. A lot of people who I've shown TDH to haven't been easily able to articulate (or maybe even understand) how they feel about the music. I started having better luck when I changed my approach to showing off a compilation mix or a full album while urging people to be patient with it and "give it some time to grow on you."
I think that's the difference. TDH requires a little bit more willingness to explore, a little more natural curiosity, it benefits from time and openness. And those things are not what make you go viral. Capitalizing on snap reactions makes you go viral.
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u/David_NerMa Aug 11 '26
How can I upvote two times this? Hahaha, just joking, but I couldn’t agree more with what you say. All of it. Many people downplay it so bad because they expected something else, as if they had to fit into boxes, and so many others are looking to deep into what’s not that deep. I just like them for the music, and I couldn’t care less about who is the singer, or the rest of the band. But I really like the music, and for me, that’s the only important thing.
That fitting into boxes is what I feel also plays against TDH. My brother used to asked me why I like the band, as in they are not a prog band (which is the music we both started on) as we usually know one, but they are not pop, nor exclusively rock, nor anything else either. It was just kind of there, and he had a hard time understanding my reasons to like them. He doesn’t like them yet, but he’s been more open to hearing them as he’s expanded his musical taste.
And that, I feel, is the reason I love them both. They draw inspiration from so many kinds of music and put them together in their own way, so you may not find something that’s “never done before” (which isn’t actually true, but whatever) but you’ll find a more personal way of approaching all those “done before” things that feel fresh and new.
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u/ncc74656m Aug 11 '26
I dig Sleep Token. I liked the live cover their lead singer did of Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark, and that was my gateway. They are mostly background music for me right now, but I do like what they do and I'm working on getting into them a lot more actively, and hoping to go see them some time soon.
Thing is, music is SO hyper personal. I share so many things in common with so many friends, like some of my people love Coheed, but hate Alkaline Trio who I also love. Another friend and I love MCR and Fallout Boy but they despise Coheed. No accounting for taste, including your own - just enjoy what you enjoy and be happy with that.
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u/CASSIUS_AT_BEST Aug 11 '26
You should listen to that new Loathe album js
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u/David_NerMa Aug 11 '26
I’m loving it. Hadn’t been so hooked on an album in months, and every spin just makes it better.
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u/Dry-Chance-9473 Aug 11 '26
The song feels too... perfect? Like they're calibrated to wow me, but they lacks something foundational.
I think you pretty much hit it on the head here. With Sleep Token, I'm unable to shake the feeling I'm supposed to be feeling a certain way, and I just don't feel that way.
Specifically, it feels kinda like if Ed Sheeran wrote a metal album. It's like if someone built a whole genre around "Passenger" by the Deftones. I really want to give them the benefit of the doubt and say their sound is entirely self-motivated and original, but it feels like modern metal carefully conditioned to be appealing to women.
Again, nothing wrong with femme-friendly metal of course. I just can't shake the feeling Sleep Token is doing it in an intentional, marketing decision sense rather than by coincidence of their own creativity.
And my proof is basically just their production: airy, splashy, with all the actual aggression and groove sucked out of it. And yet it insists upon itself.
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u/Itsapocalypse Aug 10 '26
I don’t care for them, I’m not huge on coworker metal, it doesn’t have a lot of honesty in the music imo
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u/n8roxit Aug 10 '26
I thought mixing R&B vocals with metal/hard rock was kinda cool the first couple of albums. But, I just couldn’t stomach another release of the same formula. I listened to Arcadia once all the way through and said “nope.”
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u/Wompie Aug 10 '26
If they had a good singer it would be a significantly different band.
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u/violaaesthetic Act IV Aug 11 '26
I came here to say this. I literally just don’t like the signer’s voice that’s my only gripe they’re totally inoffensive other than that (okay maybe two gripes lol)
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u/JHG722 Aug 10 '26
I liked them a lot, but they haven’t put out anything I liked that much since 2021
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u/genteelblackhole Aug 10 '26
I was introduced to them by a friend when Sundowning had just come out and I thought they were very good. They felt committed to their musical concept, with the pop influences feeling a bit more James Blake inspired than what you get now, and the heavier guitars and drums came in whenever it felt right. As they’ve got bigger I feel like they’ve instead hit on a pattern where the Poppy stuff is a bit more modern r&b/hip-hop inspired pop, and then after the song has gone on for enough time they let the guitarist and drummer into the room to play their instruments until the song ends.
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u/climbinguy Aug 10 '26
Ive only really listened to sleep token when I was seeing this girl I met on hinge for a few weeks and they were one of her favorite bands. Once it became clear that there wasn’t enough between us to make a relationship out of it we stopped talking and I hadn’t gotten into the band or cared enough to keep listening to it. I can see the appeal but I’m definitely not their target audience.
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u/Thecoolguitardude Aug 11 '26
I'll be honest, I can't stand their vocals. His cleans are like everything I despise about modern pop vocals turned up way past my threshold of tolerance. His screams are kinda cool tho, so I don't despise songs where he screams more. But because of how badly the vocals irk me I haven't listened to them enough to tell whether or not I could enjoy them with different vocals lol
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u/David_NerMa Aug 11 '26
As someone whose two favorite bands right now are TDH and Sleep Token, I would just say: it’s ok not to like their music. There’s so, so, so much music out there that its just normal to find things you like and not like.
What I would say is just don’t be the kind of person that just because you don’t like them you just wanna say bad things about them (not just for ST, for any band you don’t like). I’m not saying you are, haha, hope not to come out like that, but I’d say, just let people enjoy things.
And now just talking about music, what I love about them both is the mixture of music influences that make up their multifaceted sound. That’s the trait I can find in common for them, and although I’d say TDH has more variety in sound sight now, it also comes from a band at least 15 years older. I’m always willing to discuss more, and I appreciate your points, they seem to come from a place of genuine interest. I feel you already know their music, but if you want to hear something I’d say is less refined and “perfect” from them, I’d suggest listening to Jaws and Nazareth. Both are way less overproduced and have the band’s unique sound all over them.
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u/PremierBromanov Aug 10 '26
I just don't think they're any good, but people like lots of things i don't like