The Sleeveens Share “Aretha Franklin” From Upcoming Debut Album

When Irish born songwriter Stef Murphy (Count Vaseline / The Mighty Stef) met Stiff Little Fingers guitar tech Jamie Mechan in Nashville, Tennessee, it began a musical partnership of the highest order. After cranking out a few tunes at Mechan’s fledgling 302 Sound studio, the duo started recruiting other musicians. The band was rounded out by drummer Ryan Sweeney (Cheap Time) and Eli Steele (Sweet Knives). Initially dubbing themselves The Sleeveens, an Irish term for a trickster, the band got to work. After recording and releasing the Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls 45rpm single on Sweeney’s Sweet Time Records, they finished off their eleven track debut full length The quartet were soon approached by longrunning punk label Dirtnap Records who have announced that they will be releasing their self titled debut full length on February 9th and have today premiered the first track, Aretha Franklin.

Their debut album is a homage to the kind of classic punk Chiswick Records, New Rose Records and Stiff Records were releasing 45 years before The Sleeveens existed. With earworm melodies and screaming guitars, along with Murphy’s penchant for charmingly brilliant, matter-of-fact lyricism, that has a similar poetic quality to Mark E. Smith or Jonathan Richman, and expert mastering by Jim Diamond, The Sleeveens debut album is simultaneously uncompromisingly raw and thoughtfully crafted.