Sleepazoid are living in the new age. The Melbourne-based band comprised of Nette France, Josef Pabis, Luca Soprano, George Inglis and Jim Duong recently released their new EP, NEW AGE. The alt-rock project caught our attention with its intricate, layered and experimental sound, establishing Sleepazoid as ones to watch. We spoke to Nette and Luca from the group about the EP and what 2026 has in store:

We love the EP! Especially 22. Did you have an intention behind this project and what you set out to create?

Nette: Thank you. We didn’t have a specific intention for the EP, more an overarching aspiration I suppose. We wanted to capture the songs as well as we could at the time, and create a body of work that we’d be proud of. 22 does feel like a special track in the way it transforms into those tender guitar swells and flutters. That was all Jim and his expression pedal in the studio, it was a bit of a lightning in a bottle moment - I think he did it in one take.

Was there something specific inspiring you on this EP? What were you thinking about as you wrote?

Nette: I usually draw from personal experiences, but what I end up writing is always a refracted perspective. These songs have lots of themes, a lot of them centered around heartbreak and love. And it’s funny looking back because some of them feel almost obsessive - and I guess that’s the potency of songwriting, you can give airtime to the feelings you usually try to hide or bottle up, and explore them with a degree of separation. 

Where did you make the music? Was there a special place that brought out the best in your writing?

Luca: In the original home base of zoid, myself and George’s recording studio, Perfect Squeak (RIP). It was a catalyst space for the band I think, having the ability to be constantly seeing a clear picture of the songs you’re writing is so important and definitely brought out the best in our writing.

Who did you work with in terms of production etc., that helped you to shape your vision? What did they bring to the sonic world of sleepazoid? 

Luca: For the production and mix we had our dear friend Jack Nigro at Sonora Studios. Jack is bloody brilliant and has such command of his space that any idea or sound we wanted to go for in that moment we could. He also came down from NSW to Melbourne to do a big day of pre production with us so he already had a good idea of what he wanted to do well before the recording actually started.

Is there a song you’re particularly proud of on the record?

Luca: Tough choice, it has to be NEW AGE for me. I remember the day the riff first came to rehearsal from Nette and how sick it was! Putting it in the hands of Jim to give it the go go go that it has was another special moment. The difference between the chorus and verse is some of our best songwriting as well. Stitching those together was a super proud moment.

Nette: Hmm, for me I’m most proud of 3AM. It’s probably the oldest song on the EP and I remember when we wrote it, it felt like we entered new territory as a band. The dynamics and synth-like guitar tones felt more refined than anything we’d done before, and I think that song sonically anchored the rest of the EP. 

We love your visuals. Tell us about the album artwork. What is it and where did the idea come from? What was on the sleepazoid moodboard for this chapter?

Nette: Thank you. Joe and I have made both artworks for EP1 and EP2, and both of them are photographs of porcelain animals. The New Age EP photograph is more obscured than Running With The Dogs, and depicts some porcelain rabbit ears. You can see both figurines in the Fig Tree music video - which we thought would be a cute little easter egg. 

Which other artists are you excited about at the moment? What have you been listening to?

Nette: So many! Too many to name them all but I just checked my playlist and current high rotations are Sword II and their album Electric Hour, Mount Kimbie - both their 2017 and 2024 albums, Shady Nasty’s TREK, and also Folk Bitch Trio. 

Luca: Always a bunch. Daniel Caesar’s Son Of Spergy, Viagra Boys and their wonderful album viagr aboys has been high on my list recently. Smerz, too.

What’s something that’s important to you aside from music? Something you want to use your platform for?

Nette: I have to defer to the great Nina Simone here, I like her assertion that it’s an artist’s duty to reflect the times. And reflect the situations they find themselves in. I’d like to do that more in my songwriting with sleepazoid. 

For those who don’t yet know you, why ’sleepazoid’? 

As in why did we choose the name? SEO!! Duh!! (this is a bit I have to keep leaning into now, sadly)

What’s next?

Luca: Busy busy 2026 for sleepazoid. Laneway was a first for us. Our national headline tour also kicks off in March, keen to see everyone there. Then off to the UK in May for The Great Escape and tour, which is another first for us. We’re looking forward to it.

Listen to sleepazoid HERE.

@sleepaz0id