The original lineup of the West Roxbury, MA-based trio Sleepyhead was formed 25 years ago in a basement room at the Brittany Dorms on the NYU campus. That lineup which was comprised of Rachael McNally (drums/vocals), Mike Galinksy (bass) and Chris O’Rourke (guitar, vocals) released their first 7" “Play” in 1991 and promptly followed that with the release of four full-lengths, Punk Rock City, USA (1993), Starduster (1994), Communist Love Songs (1996) and The Brighter Shore (1999) on three different indie labels, including Slumberland Records. And during that period they toured with the likes of Yo La Tengo, Luna, the Magnetic Fields and others. 

Around the time the band was writing the material that would appear on The Brighter Shore, McNally and O’Rourke got married and Galinsky had left the band and moved on to a successful career in filmmaking. Dan Cuddy, of the Special Pillow and Hypnolovewheel was recruited to replace Galinksy. 

By 2002 O’Rourke and McNally had moved to Boston, had their first child and were putting the finishing up an album recorded at Studio 45 in Hartford, CT and Enfield, CT. However, by 2004 they had another lineup change as Derek Van Beever joined the band on bass/vocals and keyboards, and they’ve been playing tons of shows across the Northeast with this lineup. 

Last year, the band went into highly regarded Q Division Studios to record their now soon-to-released latest effort Wild Sometimes through the Chicago-based indie label, Carrot Top Records. The album’s first single “Liberation Theology” should bring you back to the early 90s and catching videos on MTV’s 120 Minutes as the song bears a resemblance to both the Breeders and the Pixies – think of “Here Comes Your Man” in particular. Seriously though, the track is a jangling bit of indie pop completed by a pretty harmony and a breezy feel that belies some rather thoughtful lyrics.