Christopher Nosnibor
Sexsomnia – sleep sex. Specifically, it’ a parasomnia (rather than a paraphilia), whereby the sleeper engages in sexual acts during the REM phase of sleep. It’s less common than somnambulism, and a whole lot weirder, too, although the two conditions aren’t mutually exclusive. Perhaps not entirely surprisingly, according to Wikipedia, at least, sexsomnia is most often diagnosed in males beginning in adolescence, and it’s also worth noting that ‘in some cases, a medical diagnosis of sexsomnia has been used as a criminal defense in court for alleged sexual assault and rape cases.’ Of course it has.
So the band’s name comes bound up with an element of baggage, some connotations and it sounds sort of cool in an edgy industrial way, in the context of a genre which is predisposed to exploring the darker, more depraved aspects of the psyche, and it is possible to explore these territories without being an edgelord dickhead. As such, Montreal darkwave-electro trio Sexsomnia get a pass on the basis of the fact there’s nothing to suggest the name is intended to be anything but eye-catching. Formed in 2022 by Philip Faith, the concept for Sexsomnia ‘is to create dark dancefloor friendly soundscapes featuring 2 basses and no guitar’. They’re by no means the first band to deploy two basses – Cop Shoot Cop also had two basses and no lead guitar, and Girls vs Boys also featured a twin-bass setup on occasion – but it’s not what you’ve got, but how you use it, and Sexsomnia’s sound is some way removed from either of these other bands.
Previous releases have centred around frontman Philip Faith’s ‘dark, gravelly vocals’ juxtaposed with an array of feminine voices. ‘Subspace’ is their first single to feature Faith alone on vocals.
The pitch is that ‘Subspace’ represents ‘the first new material from the band since last year’s Forbidden EP, and ‘offers a first glimpse of their forthcoming Raven(ous) EP, expected in early 2027.’ It reminds me just how much the music industry has changed over the last decade or so. EPs as we now see them are a recent – and digital – phenomenon, and the succession of single releases which usually see the contents of the EP released incrementally is completely new. The whole industry model has shifted.
Lyrically, ‘Subspace’ explores ‘a state of complete sensory surrender, where pleasure and bliss offer a seemingly invulnerable refuge from the outside world. Yet beneath this promise of transcendence lies the danger of mistaking temporary escape for reality’. As Philip explains: “‘Subspace’ is a voyage into the in-between realm of pure, unaltered pleasure, bliss, abandonment and ecstasy; a place where nothing can affect or harm you. But there is a danger in confusing the numbness and perfection of this state with reality. Subspace is the Eden of the senses.”
The phrase ‘The Eden of the senses’ has Ballardian overtones, and that’s something which carries forward through the track, which begins with a sensuous gasp, a moan of pleasure, before a rippling synth bass sets out a solid table on which the other layers begin to build. It’s the rhythm section which is very much dominant, a strolling bass and relentless drum machine pin it together, and tight. Faith’s vocals are low in the mix, murky, processed, and echo-soaked – and as such, perfectly pitched as he croaks his way through a dark, sonic swamp.
The interesting thing about ‘Subspace’ is that it’s much more about atmosphere than it is about attack. As a consequence, it’s a slow-burner rather than an in-your-face full-on assault. But, perhaps surprisingly, it’s not an antagonistic sleazefest, but is considered, layered, textured. Yield to the subspace.
