Newspoke have released their double-single Sleep Well and Friend. The tracks precede the release of their second album, ‘Knocking on the Door of Daylight’ out on April 30. The video exclusively premiered on BTR who said, “Melodic and emotional, ‘Sleep Well’ portrays a hurt heart, trying to figure it all out. The vocals are soothing and sing about loss while the instrumentation is aggressive and robust.” They continue about the second single, “‘Friend’ transitions into a slower melody that feels softer and more hopeful. But it eventually builds up to feel upbeat and celebratory. The video shows this transition through a trip in the sky across the big city—from one heart to another.”
The music video is shot via drone, and soaring through New York City creating a story, hundreds of feet up in the air. Newspoke lead singer M says, “We produced this video over a three year time period; setting up drone operations, locations, crew and editing took forever to get it right. The story was always the same: a guy and girl splitting up and then the girl finding love across town. But when we sequenced the album, it made a lot of sense to make it a double song video of ‘Sleep Well’ and ‘Friend’ because they’re back-to-back on the album and sonically and thematically flow into each other. ‘Sleep Well’ is about two people going separate ways and finding new partners, then ‘Friend’ is about finding love through a long journey. The ‘Friend’ part of the video could be seen as an entirely different perspective or part of the same story, it’s up to the viewer.” Watch the double header video clip via YouTube below.
Sleep Well and Friend follow the release of Clean, which came out in March 2021, and they uphold familiar tones of acoustic guitars and catchy melodies while the lyrics tell candid stories of love, friendships, and the ups and downs that can come with them. Each of the songs is an intimate look into the mind of Newspoke’s lead singer and songwriter M and touches on personal experiences that he’s gone through over the past few years.
Sleep Well immediately catches listeners with driving drums, that continue throughout. It’s an emotionally charged song that takes elements of folk while still maintaining a modern sound. Speaking about Sleep Well vocalist M says, “It’s a mixture of stories and emotions: former lovers on opposite ends of the city, having to deal with former lovers finding new love, and then finding new love on your own. It can be a mixture of sadness, excitement, and happiness, all at the same time or in waves. All in all, it’s a gesture of positive wishes sent out to the opposing party.”
Friend begins a little differently than Sleep Well digging deeper into Newspoke’s folk guitar influence, and with softer, more emotional vocals. With no shortage of references to Saved By The Bell, the lyrics tell of finding love and what you need to get there. M says about Friend, “It’s about the difficult journey to find love. Friendships are great and an important pillar of life, but they can come and go through various circumstances. Finding the one you love can be a friendship that’s less susceptible to the ebbs and flows of life; it has a higher probability of being the foundation you need in your life. But it takes acceptance and trust; two really hard things to come across.”
‘Knocking on The Door Of Daylight’ is set for release on 4/30 and will be Newspoke’s second full length album. The record was mixed by Jorge Elbrecht (Washed Out, Ariel Pink, Japanese Breakfast). The lead single off of the album, Clean, was met with praise from American Songwriter who raved, “With an ear-candy acoustic guitar line, a driving backbeat and a tapestry of synths, wind instruments and countermelodies, ‘Clean’ is demonstrative of the duo’s knack for writing songs that are intimate, deep, inspiring and catchy all at the same time.”
New York-based Newspoke is an anonymous duo that focuses on honest, revealing music and eclectic visuals. Going by ‘M’ and ‘R’, Newspoke emphasizes their honesty through anonymity. Newspoke’s 2018 debut album ‘Faces’ was lauded by critics at publications such as Atwood Magazine. The album handles topics such as heartbreak, illness, and New York bars.
For more information on Newspoke, visit newspoke.band.
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