Chance plays a big part in music. You get a mailshot about a band. You read the contents of said email and, for a change, the PR isn’t full of hyperbole and bullshit. Just a simple description that makes you think “well, I think I might like that”. And so it happened with Sleepless Nights. Their Myspace tracks were impressive enough for me to jump on the link for their full album, their sophomore effort, the rather fantastic Turn Into Vapour. And with it the days of slacker rock have returned.It might be short, sharp and lacking on the sweet front, but Sleepless Nights remind me of Lou Barlow’s efforts as both Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion. It’s gentle weave of lo-fi indie rock, singer-songwriter clichés and foot-tapping rhythms create songs that stick in your mind for days after. Beginning with the keyboard drawl of “Allyson Got Robbed” and its tale of late night muggings, “She’s a little shaken up, but she didn’t get hurt”, and its boyfriend bravado refrain of “Hands off my girl, get your goddamn hands off of my girl!”. It’s this refrain that drives the song; the guitars, drum and bass all race along like the ensuing chase through darkened streets. Aaron Wallace’s voice laid back yet full of stoner menace.The chiming guitars of “Got Caught” perfectly balance its racing drums; my foot uncontrollably taps in through its upbeat arrangement. Another laid back after-school anthem, “We can walk together back home from school, through the stormy weather, whatever is cool”, getting caught behind the bike-shed’s smoking and doing stuff that your parents would rather not know about. The bright, big sound arrangement of “Arabian Nights” proves that Sleepless Nights are no one-hit wonder as well. Its grand, rumbling guitars and drums underpinning the pining of Wallace for his distant lover; “How many more nights until you come back home”. This is followed by the power-pop of “Amounts to Nothing” which, with its staccato guitar riff, seems to echo the fruitlessness of efforts which come to nothing. “Kids on Fire“ should be an anthem for 2008. It’s crackling riffs and rebellious lyrics perfectly meld to create a track that should soundtrack parties and fill dance floors the world over. In fact, it could be the next weapon in the War on Terror, keeping “the infidels at bay”.There are a few moments where it eases off a bit too much. The gentle drone of “Hang Up” feels like a non-event after what’s gone before whilst the album, at just eight tracks, is far too short for this kind of filler. However, this is a minor quibble. Out of the blue, the Sleepless Nights have arrived to bring out my inner slacker; to pull on my heart strings, to make my feet tap and to make me feel great. Thank heavens for Sleepless Nights! 85%mp3:> Sleepless Nights: "Got Caught"Links Sleepless Nights [myspace]