It’s a big difference to have an album in our possession early (In this case, Mission To Sleep’s A Spark Or The End) and another to actually be writing about it consistently rather than listening to it over and over and over some more while constantly jotting down bits occasionally here and there (We call that “research”) so that when it comes time for the review to get ready we have to make sense of the “notes” sporadically posted of the past few months.
But that’s more an “us” problem and less a “you” problem. The only “you” problem right now is that there’s still still juuuuust a little longer to go before you can hear the entirety of A Spark Or The End for yourselves. Trust us, though, it’s worth the wait. And besides, reading all about it ahead of time is almost the same thing, right???
Starting with recent single “No Anchor” Mission To Sleep blasts off with a song that, like what’s to come throughout A Spark Or The End, is big on bombast and bigger on hooks. When we first heard the record we blurted out to no one in particular that it out Junius’d Junius with hints of Constants and SOM solidly in the mix and solidifies Mission To Sleep’s place among Boston’s Post-Heavy elite. Lead single “Designer Graves”, released in late 2024, does nothing to dissuade that argument either with vocalist Rob Wu delivering memorable line after memorable line while the MTS double-headed riff monster in Jeff Kuznezov and Chris Le alongside bassist Justin Viveiros and drummer Jon DeSousa dynamically decorate the surrounding sonic landscape.
“Carousel Teeth” is filled with a sense of malaise yet straps on some strong melodies with Wu’s layered broad vocal strokes as Viveiros, DeSousa, Le, and Kuznezov erect a sonic wall that’s effortlessly broken apart by Sarah Jeanne’s (Of fellow MA outfit Aversed! And you can read all about their new full-length released in March here!) turn at the mic with a truly monstrous presence while “Fall Into Bloom” has airs of Codeseven with Wu crooning sweet nothings like “Put your hands around my neck/Finish what you started”.
“This Massacre” is loud and lumbering with a killer chorus followed by Christopher Preece of Inspirit/Vanna guesting on the rhythm section rumbly number called “Like Heaven” before “Bury The Ghost” offers a moody respite leading into a closing cacophony filled with chunky riffage, an otherworldly aura, and Wu’s vocals dead center elevating it all.
A Spark Or The End arrives through Mind Over Matter Records on April 25th and you can make sure your copy comes the day of release by pre-saving and pre-ordering here. For more from Mission To Sleep, including all the info on their upcoming show at Taffeta Music Hall in Lowell on May 17th supporting Vanna along with Girih and Actor Observer (Direct ticket link for that here), hop on the information superhighway and make stops here or here.