For a band described as "combustible as a can of shook soda" by "Rolling Stone," the name Sleeper Agent, who are playing at Che Cafe this weekend, isn't exactly fitting -- but if you happen to know that it's a Battlestar Galactica reference, it might all start to make a little more sense. Their music is dizzying, a feverish collection of garage pop that make you want to dishevel your hair and dance around in your bedroom. It's the kind of sound that could only be created by a wildly ambitious group of young Kentuckyians set on disrupting any assumptions you might have about teenage-garage-rock cliches.
Sleeper Agent are rebellious enough to catch the ear of Cage the Elephant, who brought them on tour this year while out with Manchester Orchestra. That -- along with the release of Sleeper Agent's latest record, Celabrasion, which came out this past August (Mom + Pop) has given the the young band the momentum it needed to catapult it into the blogosphere. Touted as a "band to watch" by "Rolling Stone" and featured regularly by "Spin," Sleeper Agent are definitely getting their name out. Their infectious single "Get It Daddy" sounds like a cross between the Strokes and the White Stripes, with a little bit of a Tokyo Police Club vibe thrown in. Lead singer Alex Kandel's vocals are playfully aggressive and strong, with all the elements of high school angst you could want. The video plays along perfectly in a formula fit for a teenage dream: massacred pinatas, streamers, gymnasiums and sing-along choruses.
The band's eagerness has certainly sped the process along -=- for a band that's only a year old, they've come a long way. And they're just getting started. Check them out as they kick off their first headlining tour at Che Cafe on Sept. 25.
Nada Alic runs the San Diego-based music blog Friends With Both Arms. Follow her updates on Twitter or contact her directly.
