Review Fix Exclusive: Sleeping Around’s Ricardo Rodriguez Talks ‘Cigarettes’ And More

Review Fix chats with Sleeping Around’s Ricardo Rodriguez, who discusses the band’s origin, goals and new single, “Cigarettes.”

Review Fix: How did the project start?

Ricardo Rodriguez: I’ve been jamming with these dudes since junior high but it wasn’t till the end of 2016 that we really came together as a band. I was uber depressed at the time and needed a creative outlet to express the sadness I was holding inside.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Rodriguez: In general the best songs come from just a gut feeling I have and the need to let that feeling go by putting into a song. Usually only takes maybe two hours tops to write and produce the base tracks on Logic and write the lyrics. Then I’ll send the demo to Jaron and he’ll write his own bass and guitar parts since we are usually in different cities. After that I record the rough vocals and then we hit the studio when we’re both in town.

Review Fix: What’s your standout song? 

Rodriguez: We just released “Cigarettes” almost two weeks ago and it’s without a doubt our standout song. It’s our first polished and professional release that embodies the Nu-Metal/Emo Rap wave we want to bring back. Think Linkin Park meets LiL Peep, rest in piece Gus and Chester, two legends we can never forget.

Review Fix: How was it written?

Rodriguez: I was in NYC after working fashion week stuck in a small apartment where my bedroom had no windows which obviously led me down a dark path into depression. One night I just needed to let things go so I pulled out my strat and the song came together in maybe thirty minutes.

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2020?

Rodriguez: To drop as much high quality Nu-Metal as possible and really build up our internet presence and fan base.

Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?

Rodriguez: I just want people to know they aren’t alone like I was. We all suffer but that’s what connects us as human beings and through that we can understand each other and put aside our individual differences.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Rodriguez: Just to keep grinding, writing, and recording, right now it’s all we know since live shows are dead.

Review Fix: Tell us about the new video.

Rodriguez: Cigarettes convey a feeling many of us often become engulfed by, the notion of despair and utter loneliness. At the time I was living in New York City, heartbroken and deeply missing a past love, I began to self isolate and constantly chain smoke all while staring out the window of my small bedroom longing for her. I was always searching for her replacement which led me to operate on much lower frequencies instead of letting the past go and moving forward. However, the moment I stopped searching for new love and focused my energy on just being in love with my own self and being that sense of despair and loneliness slowly began to drift away just like the smoke emitting from the tip of a cigarette blowing away with the wind.