Allen Tate, a Brooklyn-based vocalist and songwriter, first received acclaim as the lead singer of indie rock band San Fermin. Tate began composing Sleepwalker, his debut solo project, in the autumn of 2014, He completed the writing over the following year while touring with San Fermin. The end result is melancholic wordplay and minimalist sounds that mirror Tate’s feelings of isolation at the time...

Allen Tate's debut solo album is a bit of a slow burner. It's very unlikely that you'll warm to this on the first play through (with the possible exception of 'Being Alone') as the tracks are not instantly accessible, requiring the listener to invest a bit of time getting to know the tracks. This, I normally find, is the hallmark of a good songwriter.

However, even after repeat listens you may not come away with anything that will stay with you for a long period of time as the tracks, on the whole just merge into one.

Of the album's 9 songs (29 min, 13 sec) personal highlights include the aforementioned 'Being Alone'; 'I Don't Think About It'; and 'YDNF (Young Dumb Numb Fun)'.

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Nick Smithson