Heads Phased for Dreamless Sleep, the debut release from Is and of The, was initially conceived as an ambient piece designed to alleviate the insomnia of the album's creator, Drew Bandos. Building on a platform of minimalism, elements of shoegaze, post-rock, and psychedelia started to creep their way into the mix, and the project quickly grew into something much more expansive. Produced and mixed alone over countless hours in dorm rooms and basements, and supplemented by collaborations with musicians who had never heard the songs and recorded their contributions in one take, there is a balance of obsessive tinkering and loose inspiration in each track. The music leaps from emotional peak to valley, yet somehow maintains an order in the cyclone of ideas that makes the journey cohesive. Between the sampled soundscapes, distant screams and layered melodies, Heads Phased for Dreamless Sleep is an eye-opening precursor for what's to come from Is and of The, be it sleepy ambience or explosions of noise.
