“Invent Animate have been blowing our minds for years with their technical metalcore goodness, and things are about to get a whole lot bigger for the band” — Wall of Sound
“The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was is a sprawling EP that manages to not just score, but explore the various perspective of addiction across just three tracks.” — Blunt Magazine
Fresh from announcing their new label home at UNFD, U.S. heavy music mainstays Invent Animate have released their new EP The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was today. Get it here.
The EP finds Invent Animate opening up a powerful discourse on the ricochet effect of trauma and addiction. Searingly close to drummer Trey Celaya and his family’s story of navigating a drug addiction crisis, it comprises a one-two punch of songs describing both perspectives of this tragic and deeply painful scenario. The first single, “The Sun Sleeps” sheds light on the story from the perspective of the drug-affected; meanwhile, the accompanying “As If It Never Was‘” explores the view of those left reeling in the sphere of impact of drug addiction.
Thoughtfully curated music and visual elements, emotive storytelling, and explosively heavy sonics combine to pack the ultimate punch in Invent Animate’s latest effort.
Speaking conceptually of the release, Celaya shares, “Despite all attempts to keep our darker reality shadowed in secrecy, there comes a moment in time when the truth can no longer be hidden behind closed doors or empty excuses. And at once, everything is revealed, as if the light is a constant law of nature laying bare the secrets we believe are ours to keep. In this infinite moment, the bond shared between two loved ones is severed. The flow of time does not wash away the scars; it only immortalizes what is suspended in the balance — the pain of loss, the gift of hindsight, and the curse of hope. What will always be a memory. This EP is a true story of addiction and the trauma that lies in its aftermath of a secret too dark to be hidden.”
About the videos, Celaya says, “The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was is a story of two interconnected perspectives of addiction, the afflicted, and the innocent. The afflicted is increasingly consumed by his vices, distracted, and secretive, and ultimately distorts his connection with his loved one, leaving only fractured memories in place of the love they once had.”
He continues, “These lyrics are based on a true story surrounding my family’s history with addiction, and with these songs, I wanted to bring to light how subtle the signs are and how severe the damage can be when these dark secrets stay buried. The importance of perspective has been my biggest takeaway from all of this turmoil, and sadly, most addicts fall into addiction with a spirit of naivety, thinking it will cost them nothing.”
The drummer finishes, “If you are the afflicted, consider the cost of losing everything you love and hold dear. If you are the innocent, consider the cost of enabling your loved ones. It is not loving, and it is not too late for recovery.”
THE SUN SLEEPS, AS IF IT NEVER WAS TRACK LISTING:
“The Sun Sleeps”
“,”
“As If It Never Was”
ABOUT INVENT ANIMATE:
Amid a generation gripped by loneliness, fear, and a desperate concern for the state of the world, Invent Animate are grabbing fans by the hand and choosing to walk with them. There’s a sense of duty among the band —comprising vocalist Marcus Vik, bassist Caleb Sherradan, drummer Trey Celaya, and guitarist Keaton Goldwire — to bare their own pain and tragedy for their listeners, indeed creating a safe, familiar place for listeners to process their own. It’s this deeply empathic and concerned approach to their output that sets Invent Animate apart, and has seen the band develop a close knit, cult-like following over their 10+ years together.
“I think what’s really important to our generation of music consumers is finding something beautiful out of all the chaos,” shares Sherradan. “It’s important to us — we’ve got a lot on our plate, life is weird, life is hard — but we’ve come to understand how important it is as artists to be there with our listener, to be vulnerable ourselves so they might be able to say, ‘Thank you, you guys helped me articulate this’ or ‘You guys helped me walk through this journey’ because of what we’ve created.” Stationed across Texas, Colorado, and Sweden (following Vik’s recruitment in 2019), Invent Animate are now in prime position to break new ground on their new label address. Now rubbing shoulders alongside a plethora of previous touring partners including Silent Planet and ERRA, and Spotify “sounds like” mates such as Like Moths To Flames, Void of Vision, and Thornhill, the four-piece perfectly complement the UNFD roster with their blend of ambient metalcore, djent, and prog.
