The indie rock tour-de-force based in Halifax, Wintersleep, just released their eighth full-length album, Wishing Moon. It's one of the strongest albums I've ever heard from a group that's been around for 25 years, which is no easy feat.
In our chat, featuring some potential over-prodding on my part, the band attributes that longevity to their dialed-in creative process, a connection to songwriting that's rooted unfathomably deep, and a love for one another and the work and craft of it all.
Speaking of that love, vocalist and guitarist Paul Murphy has said of their new album's stand-out single, "Abyss" that it concerns:
“Surviving the late stage capitalism shit storm — social media feeds, billionaire chaos, and everything sold off beneath our feet — while realizing that love doesn’t disappear when the world does.”
A band that can package such heavy subject matter into singable, levitating song form deserves to be around that long. And because I feel a certain camaraderie as an aging touring musician myself, I speak with drummer Loel Campbell, with a brief chime-in by Murphy, on some of these things.
Here's our conversation. Follow Wintersleep on Bandsintown and catch them live on tour in 2026.
Hypebot: Hey all, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions. First of all, congrats on being a band for 25 years. What does that mean to you?
Loel Campbell: "Was just thinking about this before the album launch last week. Incredibly lucky and grateful. It's a lot of unknown, a lot of worry, a lot of joy. Small lists of bands sharing forming members get to eight albums. Don't take it for granted."
H: Your new record, Wishing Moon, feels both effortless and ambitious for some reason. What a triumph! In your own outlook what are the departures of this album?
Loel: "Think getting back to some of our jamming meditation, really allowing the feels of the songs to fully present themselves. Most of the songs have been kicking around for eight years. A song like 'Tide,' that took a very long time to get the pocket and groove just right... You can't really force something on a song like that, you need to find your way with it."
Songs like 'All Eyes' and 'You & I' just couldn't be done to a straight tempo throughout to engage the proper emotional impact they require. It was nice to let our souls do the talking and not be bound to our usual production constraints on certain songs like those."
H: Do songs generally come to you fast while you’re writing or was this mostly because you were super prepared going into the studio?
Loel: "We are always generally very prepared for the bigger or more progressive rock songs that have settled, like: 'Tide,' 'Wishing Moon,' 'All Eyes.' There is always a song underneath it all."
A song like 'Gale' though, we worked up off of Paul's demo and it was very much a spur of the moment reaction. We kind of disassembled a few in the studio like that so I think they could find their way into the aesthetic of the album, 'My Mind Always,' 'Abyss,' and 'Redrawn' come to mind... You have to get the songs sitting together."
"No one is not going to become a fan if you blow them away, whether there are 5 or 5,000 people in the room. That's how you make lifelong connections."
H: Not to keep harping on the age thing (sorry!), but after so many years with such a dug in creative process and working methodology, how do you continue to find water in the well of inspiration?
Loel: "I think we always just gravitate towards our favorites and put them through our unique filter. There's always interesting results, even if it's something you are revisiting years later with a new perspective."
H: Are there songs from either this or past records that trip you up playing live?
Loel: "Preparation is key, so... ideally not! Haha! There are some songs we don't play regularly so if we don't have a chance to touch on a song say like 'Trace Decay' — which is in a weird time signature and has intricate parts — it would not be a good result. Practice practice practice!"
H: Do you think touring is essential for artists today?
Loel: "Touring is essential, yes, for bands... no one is not going to become a fan if you blow them away, whether there are 5 or 5,000 people in the room. That's how you make lifelong connections."
H: What is one of the craziest things that’s ever happened on the road?
Loel: "We hit a deer in our tour bus once and the entire cab filled with fur."
Paul Murphy: "Touring with Wolf Parade around Welcome to the Night Sky after an amazing set in Baton Rouge we went to our hotel to grab showers as we had to fly out at 6AM to play Pemberton Festival in Vancouver. We spent about four hours doing that and went back to our van to realize we had been robbed of all our stuff. We had no time so we had to go to the airport."
We arrive in Vancouver on time but couldn’t make the festival because the lineup of cars down the small road that lead to the festival.. so the fest hired a helicopter. We pulled off and got into the helicopter and flew to the site just in time to walk on stage."
Sam Roberts and his band generously lent us all their equipment and we had one of the best sets of that era of time anyway."
We headed back immediately after the set to get back to the Wolf Parade tour."
We arrive in Atlanta and my sister who I haven’t seen at that point for 2-3 years (she moved to the states) is at the airport picking up a friend. She saw the NS plates and a 15-passenger van outside and had a hunch it was us... The rest of the tour is smooth and we get to listen to Wolf Parade every night."
"I had a dream just last night that I was a nurse caring for Joni Mitchell."
H: Who are some artists you’ve seen play live recently that have blown you away?
Loel: "PEI has some great bands, Absolute Losers and Gizmo. Julianna Riolino is a force, powerful stuff. I'm also on board with the Turnstile and Geese hype. Viagra Boys... There's lot's of stuff firing on all cylinders."
Nice to see guitars back in the mix."
H: Do you ever get nightmares about being on stage?
Loel: "They are of no one showing up or not having gear... Sometimes it's not knowing a song. Sometimes they are good though, my brother visited me in a dream after a show recently and he was smiling and so happy."
I had a dream just last night that I was a nurse caring for Joni Mitchell."
Wintersleep 2026 Tour Dates
MAY 09 — Saint John, NB @ Imperial Theatre
MAY 10 — Moncton, NB @ Capitol Theatre
MAY 11 — Fredericton, NB @ Fredericton Playhouse
MAY 14 — Windsor, NS @ Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
MAY 15 — Halifax, NS @ The Marquee Ballroom
MAY 16 — Halifax, NS @ The Marquee Ballroom
JUN 04 — Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom
JUN 05 — Cumberland, BC @ Waverley Hotel
JUN 06 — Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre
JUN 07 — Kelowna, BC @ Revelry Food+Music Hub
JUN 10 — Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room
JUN 11 — Calgary, AB @ The Palace Theatre
JUN 12 — Saskatoon, SK @ Capitol Music Club
JUN 13 — Winnipeg, MB @ The Park Theatre
JUN 17 — London, ON @ London Music Hall
JUN 18 — Hamilton, ON @ Bridgeworks
JUN 19 — Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall
JUN 20 — Ottawa, ON @ The Bronson
