Following 2017's glossy
Gossip, Florida post-hardcore mainstays
Sleeping with Sirens returned with a course-correcting LP for a new label. Issued on
Sumerian Records,
How It Feels to Be Lost is the band's sixth album and a welcome homecoming to the comfort zone of their heavier raw material. Frontman
Kellin Quinn's vocals remain in top form, veering from throat-shredding cries to gorgeous mellifluous runs, as the band --
Justin Hills,
Jack Fowler, and
Nick Martin -- whirl in a torrent around him. Hitting a balance between the melodic and aggressive like contemporaries
Bring Me the Horizon and
Hands Like Houses, the quartet retain some of the pop savvy from
Gossip (especially on the choruses) and resurrect the cutting riffs, pounding drums, and gang choruses from past work. In addition to standouts such as the soaring "Leave It All Behind," the rollicking "Break Me Down," and the pummeling "Agree to Disagree," the urgent set also boasts a collaboration with
Benji Madden on "Never Enough." Pensive moments such as "Ghosts" and "P.S. Missing You" also impress with their intensity and desperate energy, as
Quinn screams about common themes of loneliness, hopelessness, and fear. While
Gossip wasn't outright terrible, the abrupt stylistic shift from
Madness and its uneven execution seemed at odds with the band's authenticity. With
How It Feels to Be Lost,
Sleeping with Sirens find their way again, delivering a passionate and anguished jolt of melodic post-hardcore that doesn't sacrifice catchiness or their identity. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
