“I’ve always wanted to be a musician that has a big reach and influence on a large amount of people,” Sleep Theory vocalist Cullen Moore tells Apple Music. “To be able to give something to someone that they feel they can relate to and can enjoy listening to whether they’re interested in metal music or pop music.” Sleep Theory’s highly relatable lyrics about interpersonal relationships are a large part of what made the Memphis band’s 2023 breakout EP, Paper Hearts, so successful. Their full-length debut, Afterglow, doubles down on this perspective (and Moore’s impressive vocal prowess) with hit singles “Stuck in My Head” and “III” while tackling anxiety and personal stagnation on “Paralyzed” and “Numb,” respectively. Musically speaking, Moore and his bandmates—guitarist Daniel Pruitt, bassist Paolo Vergara, and drummer Ben Pruitt—combine metalcore and R&B while taking the next logical lyrical step. “I feel like it’s a good continuation of where we left off with Paper Hearts,” Moore says. “Paper Hearts was the broken heart. Afterglow is the part where, even though you’ve been brokenhearted, you still have feelings for the person. It’s the remnants of what was.” Below, he comments on each track. “Static” “This was one of those songs where we couldn’t figure out a good subject [for the lyrics] at first. But then, it finally came to me: I was driving home from the studio, like, ‘Loud static, can’t get peace, talking, too much noise.’ I literally sent that in a text message to the band. Everything came so quickly for us that it seemed like there was no peace, no quiet time. It’s not a bad thing—I’m grateful for it—but we’re still getting used to it. So, ‘Static’ is about adapting to this new life of ours.” “Hourglass” “You can’t let some things catch up to you. In the second verse, it says, ‘You can’t stop, it’s closing in around you/Look back and it rips you away.’ I guess maybe you could tie it into your anxieties. You’ve got to keep going. You can’t stop.” “III” “This was written about a specific somebody that, if you listen to the lyrics, you can tell I’m not very fond of. They’re no longer in my life. Sometimes you give people opportunities, you give people chances to do cool stuff, but they’ll go and soil it. People say that bad stuff comes in threes, but what we like to think is that the person who is the topic of this song is the worst of all three. Whether it’s tornadoes, tsunamis, war, famine—I don’t care what it is: I would much rather deal with the other two than deal with this person.” “Fallout” “It’s about dealing with someone who has their claws in you somehow. They make you feel as if you’re the crazy one, but you’re in a constant back-and-forth with that person. In the first verse, it says, ‘Do you remember how it felt each time you looked at me/The way you hated what you see?/I never told you it’s a feeling I remember too/It’s how I feel when I see you.’ So, you both have the same feeling, and it’s a constant pull back and forth between the victim and the instigator.” “Stuck in My Head” “It’s as simple as it sounds: You’ve got somebody who’s stuck in your head. No matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter how you do it, no matter how you try to get away from it, you just cannot get said person out of your head. It could be in a good way or a bad way. You might be driving down the street, and the person’s not with you. But the song you and said person listened to comes on, and it’s bringing back memories like an annoyance.” “Gravity” “This one was written back in 2021, far before Sleep Theory was the band that it is. It was just myself and our producer that wrote this one. You and another person are interested in each other, but they’re in a relationship. They know their relationship is failing, and you know that you’ll be better than the person that they’re with. You’re not trying to convince them to leave their person, but you’re alluding to the fact that you are better than said person. It’s like your classic R&B, ‘Will he love you the way that I do?’ She wants something new. She knows that she likes you, and you know that you like her, but the dude is just in the freaking way.” “Afterglow” “It’s a ballad. It’s a little bit deeper and a lot more heartfelt and meaningful than ‘Stuck in My Head,’ but it’s essentially the same thing. It’s like you’re caught in the afterglow of what you used to have with whoever it is that you can apply the song to. Whenever a light goes out or a star explodes, there’s an afterglow for a split second. Even though it’s over and done, the light that was there, you’re still caught up in the afterglow.” “Numb” “It’s about feeling as if you’re stuck in a place or a routine that you can’t get out of. You’re stuck in the same back-and-forth, and you just feel numb. You’re looking for a change in life, but you feel stagnant. You just want to feel something again, but everything that you try to do doesn’t give you that spark.” “Parasite” “This is about a person who’s a leech, a person who won’t let go of things and who will deny, deny, deny that they are an issue. They’re stuck on just trying to be a part of what you have—or trying to take what you have. They always victimize themselves. They’ll say everybody else is the issue, but they don’t want to see that they’re the issue. So, we’re telling them to accept the fact that they’re the parasite they are. Instead of acting like you’re not, just lean into it.” “Just a Mistake” “It’s about the fear of being alone. You’re in a relationship with a person, but you’re trying to get away from them. You both know you’re not good for each other, you both know that you’re sick of each other, but you always come back. You know it’s toxic, but you like the toxicity behind it, and you can’t get away from it. In the bridge, it says, ‘You keep saying it’s over tomorrow, but you always follow me home/We both hate it, you’re making me crazy, but it’s better than being alone.’” “Paralyzed” “When we were writing this, we were thinking of sleep paralysis, the demon sitting on your chest at night. Even if you’re paralyzed by the fear inside, the pain is only temporary. It’s talking about your inner anxieties, the fact that you’re terrified of what you are and what you could let yourself be. You’re being held down by your own insecurities.” “Words Are Worthless” “This is another ballad. You’re chasing after someone and you’re trying to find the words to speak to them and say the things that you need to say, but sometimes the words that you use aren’t enough to really get through. You find out that words are worthless. It says, ‘If I could keep you from falling to pieces/I’d be saving myself in the process/We’ll collapse every word.’ Sometimes you find out that no matter what you say, no matter how you say it, the words are worthless.”