All orders purchased through SFRstore.com will include an 11x17 Hesitation Wounds poster SIGNED BY SLEEP and a Strange Famous Records sticker!

Click here for the FREE DOWNLOAD of the official leak of Sleep's "Lothar" featuring Del Tha Funkee Homosapien!

"This is an infinite love in its purest form. It's not the norm but it's all I know so here it goes.
This speaking from the heart tore my life apart to bleed for ya, I just thought you should know." – Sleep of Oldominion from "Talk About It”

Hesitation Wounds is a vivid and intense journey through the psyche of one of underground hip hop’s longest tenured and most promising emcees.The follow-up to Sleep’s acclaimed 2005 LP Christopher, the album features guest appearances by Del tha Funky Homosapien, Grayskul, and boasts the production credits of Reanimator, Zebulon Dak and Smoke. Constructed from a mix of samples, live instrumentation, and a myriad of styles that all assist in the storytelling of a lifelong hip-hop veteran who has much more to offer the game than brag raps. This is real life in all its complexities, compressed into 13 solid tracks, and delivered in a way that only Sleep could do.

Hesitation Wounds rated 4.5 Stars out of 5 from URB Magazine! Check out the review here.

Casey Jarman of Willamette Week reviews Hesitation Wounds:

"As much as longtime Portland MC Sleep contemplates the unknown in his verses, it’s not really fair to peg him as “dark.” Thorough examination of death is a hallmark of the entire Oldominion crew he co-founded over a decade ago, but like his pioneering Northwest peers, Sleep voyages into the void for a bit of perspective on life. So while the title of his new record, Hesitation Wounds, may elicit images of grisly failed suicide attempts—the sort of themes explored on the album’s title track—it means something more to Sleep. It’s an apology for nearly losing sight of his dreams.

After four years without a solo record, hip-hop should be grateful for Sleep’s return. On Wounds—his first disc for Sage Francis’ Strange Famous label—he relights the fire over 55 minutes of smoky, deep-space funk that echoes like basketballs in an empty gym. And though the disc features appearances by Del and Grayskul, it’s Sleep himself—his voice fluttering between overexcited rap fanboy and world-weary vet—who commands the listener’s attention through personal reflection, spiritual exploration and quick-witted humor.

Oh, and don’t forget speed. Though Sleep is among the quickest tongues in hip-hop, this is the first album on which that skill has been used as more than an occasional gimmick. And when he blasts off over the slow-churning soul of “Goblin,” it’s not just his pace that impresses; it’s the spin-cycle style of his delivery and the clarity of his message. Sleep’s voice sounds like a warped spoken-word record spun at 78, and he leaves no syllable behind. When the beat slows behind him and it’s just the MC and an anxious electric guitar, he explains his strategy at light speed:

“Complex content not nonsense because I spit it a bit quicker than some kids/ It’s not to cover up a lack of thought, in fact it’s quite the opposite.”

Sleep’s appeal lies largely in his perspective: He’s a blue-collar MC who uses hip-hop as a means to self-discovery. And while his vocab isn’t as elaborate as that of some college-aged backpackers who’ve stolen the indie rap spotlight in recent years, Sleep’s struggle rings truer than most. He lays all the cards on the table on “Million,” wherein he details those hesitation wounds we were talking about. Sleep’s real-life alias, Chris Tafoya, is a family man, and furthering his music career can mean missing out on some pretty major dad shit. Where lesser MCs would choose machismo or hyper-logic to solve the conflict, our narrator sounds infinitely torn.

“You gotta ask yourself at the end of the day, is it even worth it?”
Sleep posits in a plain-speaking voice. “What do you give up for your dreams? Are they the things you love?” There’s no easy answer here, but Sleep reminds us to keep asking the questions, no matter how dark our path may seem."

Check out the teaser video for the intro to Hesitation Wounds!