Sleep Token & AA Williams at Fox Theater in Pomona, CA

SUNDOWNING: “Sundowning, or sundown syndrome, is a neurological phenomenon associated with increased confusion and restlessness in patients with delirium or some form of dementia. The term ‘sundowning’ was coined due to the timing of the patient’s confusion. For patients with sundowning syndrome, a multitude of behavioral problems begin to occur in the evening or while the sun is setting…”

From June to November, through 12 tracks and passing seasons, Sleep Tokenreveals an evenly-spaced, precisely-timed sequence of recordings that stand as both individual touchstones and carefully aligned musical pieces, all informed by a common emotional thread plus a flow of graphics and videos specific to each song; the end result is a digital and physical release of the album on November 22, with format choices embracing a bespoke box-set containing a variety of exclusive elements, including early recordings.

Starting with “THE NIGHT DOES NOT BELONG TO GOD,” the opening track on the album, the singles will be issued, in sequence, every two weeks at sundown (GMT). “The Night…” arrives on summer solstice when the sun is highest in the sky in London, descending throughout the subsequent singles releases.

Making her stage debut in April 2019 and selling out her first headline show at London’s prestigious Southbank Centre less than a year later, A.A. Williams hit the ground running. Similarly, the acclaim for her performances and her music has been unanimous from the start. After one self-titled EP and a collaboration with Japanese post-rockers MONO, the London-based singer-songwriter signed to Bella Union and released her stunning debut album, Forever Blue, in July 2020.

That Southbank show would prove to be the last time she would take to the stage for a long while as the world struggled to cope with unforeseen and extreme challenges. Never a musician to sit still, the classically trained multi-instrumentalist focused her creativity on arranging – firstly, by stripping songs back to the most delicate bones on her Songs From Isolation covers record, and now with a complete reimagining of her own material as the four songs from her debut EP become arco.

Not many musicians have the ability – or indeed bravery – to rework a collection of their own full band ‘rock’ songs into a string-and-voice arrangement. A.A. Williams, however, is not like many musicians and the minimalism of Arvo Pärt and Gorecki has long since sat beside Vaughan Williams’ folk-inspired classical work as important influences on her music.