SONG/VIDEO PREMIERE: Chessa Rich Stuns With Whimsically Vibrant “Sleeping Is Easier”

While “love,” might be an obvious winner for most thematic titles in song history, “sleep” is undeniably up there too in the rankings: ‘I’m Only Sleeping,” “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” you get the picture…

Yet tackling sleep disorders might only seem to put a dart in the somewhat peaceful and escapist ritual we all partake in.

North Carolina-based Chessa Rich, wrote the shadowy and aquatic Deeper Sleeper (due out April 7) about the years she spent living with an undiagnosed sleep disorder that dramatically influenced her relationship to sleep, productivity, dreaming, and creativity.

“Each song on this record reflects a different aspect of my relationship with sleeping and dreaming,” said Rich. “Some were born in frustration and anger at a body that won’t do what I want it to do, others sound more like giving up, and one is a literal retelling of a dream I had.”

Recorded at Milan Hill in March 2021, Deeper Sleeper is the narrative of finally waking up. It showcases her informed rule-breaking songwriting steeped in a past not only of musical collaboration and performance, but of a gentle persistence to discover oneself amidst a vibrant landscape of others. The nine tracks divulge—in Rich’s distinctly seasoned sound—the heartfelt importance of having mindfulness of those closest to you. Across the LP’s sonic landscapes, Rich finds herself in various states of consciousness. Sleeping but unable to wake up, awake but wanting to be asleep, dreaming but not aware of the pieces that form the whole.

Glide is premiering the song and video for Rich’s ravishing “Sleeping is Easier” which buzzes with the edgy folk narrative of Sharon Van Etten atop Jenny Lewis’ engaging retro charm. Yet, Rich nails a sound that is very well all her own, where her thematic songs, conjure up imagery and awaken the senses- proving her soon-to-be enduring effect as an artist’s artist. Check out the song and video below- one that is an ideal teaser for the April full album release…

“I wrote ‘Sleeping is Easier’ during a period of being really mad at myself for things that I now know are essential pieces of me. I remember feeling defeated and telling a friend, ‘sleeping is just easier’ and the desolation of that statement hit me right in the chest. I was tired all the time and just couldn’t get a hold on life, so I kind of ended up yelling at myself and comforting myself all in the same song. It’s funny to reflect on the song now that I know I was dealing with undiagnosed sleep apnea,” says singer song-songwriter Chessa Rich about her latest song.

“At the end of last summer, I called up all my piano students, little cousins, and friends’ kids, and we had a big old pool party. We ate pizza and Chilly Willies, and the band and I got to perform this banger of a song to the best crowd we’ve played for yet. I was taking off my ski jacket and fanning myself any spare moment we weren’t filming, because it really was 90 degrees that day,” adds Rich about the video.