REISSUE: The Gerbils – Are You Sleepy (20th Anniversary Edition)

Athens, GA’s legendary Elephant Six Recording Company - home of The Apples In Stereo, Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control – recently relaunched after a decade-long hiatus.  There is some exciting news to come from the label but the first order of business is a new 20^th anniversary reissue of the long out of print debut album, Are You Sleepy, from The Gerbils, originally released via Hidden Agenda in 1998.  The Gerbils featured Scott Spillane and Jeremy Barnes of Neutral Milk Hotel and together with Will Westbrook and John D’Azzo, they created a fuzzed-out, lo-fi brand of folk-pop further made unique with their prog-rock tendencies and warped sense of psychedelia.  

The Gerbils found a sweet spot between the catchiness of The Apples In Stereo, the weirdness of Neutral Milk Hotel and the aesthetic of Sebadoh; helping to establish the “E6” sound on their debut which features standout tracks including, the scrappy and swirling opening track, “Sunshine Soul”, the unhinged jangle-pop of “Penny Waits” and late-album gem, “Glue”, with its sticky melodies and hard-rocking rhythm.        

Are You Sleepy is out now digitally and on vinyl here: https://elephant6.com/shop/    

Stream The Gerbils - Are You Sleepy here: