Ty Segall is practically impossible to keep up with. At only 26, the endlessly prolific garage rocker has been one of the most productive artists around, putting out more than 12 albums — and even more if you count other bands he’s affiliated with: Sic Alps, White Fence, and his new band Fuzz, to name a few.
Last year alone, he released three records — all of them excellent if you like your music loud, and filled with scuzzy riffs, catchy refrains, and bursts of noise. For most musicians, you might expect a break to refuel. But not Segall, who’s back now with yet another new album under his own name, Sleeper.
Unlike last year’s albums, Sleeper presents a new side of the Ty Segall we all know and love: The Bay Area-now-Los Angeles-based songwriter has dialed down the amps and the scorching guitar distortion for a surprisingly restrained, and mostly-acoustic collection of songs. Inspired and influenced by recent tragedies in his life — his father’s death and the subsequent falling out with his mother — songs like “She Don’t Care,” “Crazy,” and the title track are far darker and emotional than anything he’s done thus far.