Try to give the answers I owe
Why I failed again to let you know
How I fight my alter ego
When I myself become my biggest foe
We are strange creatures, burdened by the weight of our own contradictions. At times, we stumble, dragged down by tempers too quick, words too sharp, and hearts too slow to mend. The very ones who offer us solace become the unwitting targets of our turmoil. These moments, fleeting yet profound, reveal our frailty—our ability to wound those who would shield us. In the worst of times, we drive them away, not by intention but by inertia, leaving behind the quiet ache of absence. It is in this fragile space we find the truth: our demons whisper louder when love retreats.
Switzerland’s Sleep Forever tackles this shadow side of ourselves with the titular second single from their upcoming album Alter Ego, which will be released on cassette and digital on Jan 31 via DKA Records.
Sleep Forever began its life in 2014, the brainchild of Zurich’s Markus Weber (Veil Of Light), unfolding like a whispered secret set to song. With this bittersweet offering, Weber returns to DKA Records, presenting his most intricate vision yet—every note deliberate, every arrangement honed to a fine edge. Alter Ego brims with a quiet boldness, its tender fragility drawing from a deeply personal well.
Fans of late-’80s luminaries like Depeche Mode, OMD, Eleven Pond, and Parade Ground will find solace in Sleep Forever’s clean, cutting take on synth-pop. It moves between forlorn reflection and feverish yearning, a delicate balance between retreat and revelation. Weber’s sincerity shines as he lays bare the trials and triumphs of the human condition, his music touching on the ache of distance and the pull of connection. Sleep Forever stands as a steady hand reaching through the static, offering clarity in its simplicity.
The lyrics evoke a sense of regret over unspoken truths and harmful words, the burden of lost love, and the torment of being one’s own worst enemy. The longing for redemption and connection underscores the desperate fight against inner turmoil.
“The idea behind the song is that we are not always our perfect selves and sometimes struggle with our inner demons, being mean to people that are close to us and in the worst case losing them in the end even though they are the ones that would be there to help,” he says.
The video for “Alter Ego,” filmed by Leonie Haab and Markus Weber, uses a vintage DV camera, straddling the past and present with a lo-fi finesse.
Watch below:
While Weber’s earlier work oscillates between otherworldly, reverb-drenched introspection and driving body music, it already hinted at the keen sense of pop craft that would characterize his debut album Boyhood (2022).
Alter Ego will be released on cassette and digital Jan 31 via DKA Records. Listen to the song below and pre-order here. Alter Ego is available as a digital release and a limited-edition cassette pressing of 120 copies.
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