Nick Hours - Sleep Through the Week

​Nick Hours

Sleep Through the Week
self-released; 2017

4.0 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM

By Corrine Cassels

Nick Hours is a project fronted by Nick Rattray based in Oakland. Sleep Through the Week follows their debut album A Peach released in 2015. The sound on this album is an interesting blend of indie rock and experimental pop and was meant to capture the “moment in indie rock where everyone suddenly realized that some of the sounds of ’80s light rock were actually incredible, and started to recontextualize them in a contemporary aesthetic.” I’d say this description fits perfectly and I found myself having almost a deja vu type of feeling listening to each track, even though the sound was completely original.

The album opened with the title track “Sleep Through the Week” which had a lazy mellow vibe and a slow hypnotizing beat. I love Rattray’s vocals. They’re simple yet unique with a perfect indie tone. I also loved the blend of indie and retro light rock vibes. It makes for a smooth fun listen.

The second track “First Date, Outside” had the same mellow melodies but some fun additions like horns and a cool stealthy feel. “I Still Need You” had more of an experimental pop sound with sexy female vocals that I absolutely loved. The song went on a little too long for me, but I really dug the fade-out ending. The next couple of tracks, “Hidden” and “Sun of July” took a little bit of a more ambient turn with layers of tones and harmonies.

The final track “Color Kind Sweet” felt a little R&B to me with a different female vocalist with a very deep tone to her voice and a jazz-like complexity to the melodies. All the layers of harmonies towards the end got a little chaotic and distracting, but I still really liked the song.

​I loved Sleep Through the Week. The sound is fresh yet nostalgic and the style is accessible to all sorts of musical tastes. The songs were cool and funky with catchy beats and singable lyrics. I will definitely be looking forward to future work.

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