The Audio Perv

By Grant Ruby

I was first introduced to Sleeper Agent when “Get It Daddy” was featured in SPIN magazine’s August playlist. The song piqued my interest, and when I got a hold of the album I gave it an earnest listen, and enjoyed it more than I had anticipated. The band hails from Bowling Green, Kentucky, and they’re friends with that other Bowling Green band Cage the Elephant. Both in studio and live on stage one can immediately see that this band shares similar roots as Cage the Elephant. The six members of Sleeper Agent constantly move, and their punk-infused, college rock sound is all over the place. Not unlike that other band from Bowling Green.

Arriving at the Vera Project, a not-for-profit art gallery and always-all-ages music venue, moments before Sleeper Agent took the stage, I took a quick look around the confines before heading into the music hall for the concert. Throughout the building the walls are covered in artwork that makes the Vera Project feel like more than just a music venue. In the concert hall, the sparse crowd (I counted 29 other people in the room) didn’t keep lead singer Alex Kandel from going crazy on stage. It seemed to energize her and her band mates to make it an even more memorable show for those in attendance. They performed blistering versions of every song from their debut album Celabrasion, as well as a non-album track and a ridiculously good cover of The xx’s “VCR.” Speaking to Justin Wilson, the band’s drummer, after the show, he told me that when they first started working on “VCR” he thought they were writing a new song, having been unfamiliar with The xx, only knowing that the song didn’t have a drum part, and he needed to provide one.

Several times throughout the show I found myself thinking that this band projects an early-days-of-CBGB vibe in their live set. Alex’s onstage antics are surprisingly reminiscent of Deborah Harry and it’s clear that other CBGB bands like the Ramones and Talking Heads are influences for the band. From the extra-chunky bass line of “Shuga Cane,” to the afro-beat sounds of “Love Blood,” to the manic “Be My Monster,” this group has created some really good songs that translated to the small crowd. Their debut album has been available as a digital download (iTunes, Amazon) since August, and just saw a physical release September 27th.

Set list for Sleeper Agent’s October 2 show:

1. Proper Taste
2. Force a Smile
3. Shuga Cane
4. Love Blood
5. Bottomed Out
6. Get It Daddy
7. That’s My Baby
8. Get Burned
9. VCR (the xx)
10. Some White Blinds
11. Far and Wide
12. (non-album track)
13. All Wave and No Goodbye
14. Be My Monster

The band continues to tour across the US, with stops in Louisville, Baltimore, Philadelphia and several other cities this month. I recommend going, so you can tell all your friends that you saw ‘em in a small club before they blew up. And believe me, they’re likely to blow up sooner than later.