The New Cut "Sleepers, Mourners" Album Review

"Sleepers, Mourners" Album Art

Kay Joseph | April 2026

Four-piece post-punk band The New Cut has recently released their EP “Sleepers, Mourners”. With a direct approach to updating ‘80s indebted post-punk and new wave, they’re set to take the scene by storm. 

The Bristol-based quartet consists of Henry Gerrard (vocals, guitar), Rachel Parr (vocals, bass), Felicity Case (vocals, guitar) and Morgan Dawson-Sellis (drums). The band started in 2021, and has released a variety of singles and two EPs since then. They’re set to tour the UK throughout April. 

On the EP “Sleepers, Mourners”, the band described it as a transitional time for them: “Finding the balance between expressionism and social-political messages, developing our sound and the EP being written over the course of a couple of years, makes it almost have an anthology-like feel to it, like a time capsule.”

They pride their new EP on blending the energy of The Fall, Wire and The Monochrome Set with modern themes, showcased across all six tracks. Thematically, the lyrics describe lead vocalist Henry Gerrard’s observations on modern life and its current social and political landscape. 

Track 1 – Oversight

The EP opener covers darkwave elements, a melancholic, synthesiser-driven genre that emerged in the late 1970s and 1980s as a darker, more atmospheric counterpart to post-punk and new wave. 

The voices of Gerrard, Parr and Case blend nicely in the chorus. Almost like a mantra, they chant “I gotta tell what I want / And what I want is what to tell you”. 

Although “Oversight” is a beautiful track, the rest of the EP is much stronger, which makes this track kind of fade into the back of my mind compared to the rest. 

Track 2 – And As Always

“And As Always” starts with an incredible bass line and, in my opinion, has elements resembling The Cure. Distorted guitars build the intro very delicately. 

The track explores parasocial relationships with online personalities, which becomes evident through lyrics such as “I just wanna be the music in one of his videos / I just wanna be the song that plays when he says ‘thanks for watching’”. The vocals on “And As Always” overlay in a beautiful harmony. 

The intensity increases towards the outro, when the line “I just wanna be the music in one of his videos” is repeated over and over again, signalling that this feeling of parasocialism and obsession is only growing stronger throughout the song. 

Track 3 – Valuable Customer

The distorted guitar riff at the start strongly resembles the one in The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”, giving an entirely different, upbeat swing to their sound on the EP. Throughout the entire song, this resemblance stays. 

“Valuable Customer” poses the cheeky question of whether the consumer has been commodified and whether the old idea of a ‘valuable customer’ has been replaced with a new ideology viewing them as a source of profit. 

The background vocals, especially on this track, match the atmosphere of the song that the band creates incredibly well.

Track 4 – CHRS PCKHM

The song is an incredibly clever reference to naturalist, broadcaster and environmental campaigner Chris Packham, who’s actively trying to cut overconsumption, take on fossil fuel giants and create a fairer world.

“CHRS PCKHM” is most likely providing commentary on the current attitude towards climate change and the unethical ways that people and companies profit off nature: the lines “I like to be there when their money catches fire”, and “I like to be there when their product expires” elaborate on this particularly well.

Track 5 – London, Out There

With brooding guitars, “London, Out There” provides a more reflective and introspective sound. 

Although the meaning is one to speculate over, one interpretation is the desire to head back home from London, where the protagonist doesn’t feel like they belong. Once they’re actually home, everyone starts reminding them of the city that they left behind. 

Track 6 – Arnos Vale

The EP closes off with the five-minute-long “Arnos Vale”, most likely referring to the cemetery in Bristol carrying that name. Up until the two-minute mark, the song has beautiful and raw lyrics: “I will call out something / Hoping someone there will understand me / Every year these people here / They keep on getting younger than me.”  It’s an ode to growing up in a typical university city that is seeing a new stream of people every year to start new chapters of their adult lives. Most likely, the protagonist feels themselves growing up and out of that stereotype. 

The second half is completely instrumental, with the lead guitar taking centre stage. Its riffs carry the emotional weight that the lyrics did before them, creating a dark and brooding atmosphere, ending “Sleepers, Mourners” on a perfect note.

The band’s spin on post-punk with modern themes makes them stand out from the others, and their songs are really clever in terms of lyrics, as showcased on “CHRS PCKHM”. 

For lovers of post-punk and new wave, The New Cut is definitely one to keep an eye on. 

Listen to “Sleepers, Mourners” here!

Follow The New Cut on Instagram here!