Initially forming in high school and around the music scenes of Salt Lake City and Provo in 2018, primary songwriters Joshua Harmon (vocals/guitar) and Jonas Swanson (vocals/guitar) with KJ Ward (bass) and Juice Welch’s (drums) journey as The Backseat Lovers began with the pure love of songcraft, live performance and DIY-ethics. They completed their first EP, Elevator Days, just before graduation. What soon became a runaway train after the release of their first album When We Were Friends, has rolled on to include 370 million total worldwide streams, including the Top 20 Alternative hit “Kilby Girl” which spent five weeks on the U.S. Spotify top songs chart. Now they bring their newest songs to the live stage, including the lead single “Growing/Dying” from their new album Waiting to Spill, out now.

Hailing from so-called Surrey, and working on unceded Coast Salish territories in so-called Canada, Sleepy Gonzales cannot be categorized into a specific genre. From lulling audiences into a collective daze with languid dream pop jams, to violently shaking the walls with loud inhibited garage punk pandemonium, the only two things all of their songs have in common are tension and honesty.  Vancouver photojournalist and videographer Raunie Mae Baker describes listening to Sleepy Gonzales’ music to be “like jumping out of a plane without a parachute and landing softly in your bed”.

Sleepy Gonzales consists of the half-Mexican twin brothers, Cristian (guitar and vocals) and Beni (drums and vocals), who write and engineer the sound of Sleepy Gonzales’ love and loss, bass guitarist and punk enthusiast Nick, who brings an obvious edge to the band dynamic with his 70’s gutterpunk approach to songwriting, and last but not least Ally, one of the most dynamic front persons the Vancouver indie scene has to offer, who weaves the chaos of Sleepy Gonzales into strong hook-filled melodies. Ally has incredible range and versatility and can break your heart with haunting old soul vibes or hit you in the face with a hurricane punch.

From regularly filling local indie venues with their captivating and energetic live performances, to putting endless hours into crafting their newest project, Sleepy Gonzales released “Slow Apocalypse” on December 18th, 2020. This is their sophomore release through Vancouver indie label Light Organ Records, and 5th project overall.

Sleepy Gonzales Music is available on all streaming services and you can follow their journey at sleepyfuckinggonzales.com.