The pace is hot with Sleeper Agent. With six members in the Bowling Green, Kentucky, band, it could just be the result of all the racing hearts, constantly jogging - some sprinting - even when they're just there in place. Lead singer Alex Kandel and her fellow vocalist Tony Smith design a sense that there's a long fuse that's been lit and they're trying to outrun the flick of flame that's coursing down it to the eventual pay-off or explosion. They just want to be there for the big bang. They want to contribute as much as they can to that blast.
There's an inferno cooking just behind and alongside all of their words and the blistering instrumentation provided by drummer Justin Wilson, bassist Lee Williams, guitarist Josh Martin and especially keyboardist Scott Gardner, who all do everything they possibly can to force the sweaty momentum. They're and surging every chance they get - everyone taking a leg of the song and bringing considerable energy to keeping the heat levels high. The songs seem to be in response to any notions that there's much loyalty in the fibers or firmament of young love, when everyone looks tempting and there are distractions aplenty.
Two people can be extremely hot for one another and none of it means that the feelings can't be transferred onto another or easily compromised. Where Sleeper Agent takes us is into the lion's den, into the penthouse, where passions are running wild and there's an urgency to taste as much of the fare as possible before it's time to settle anything down. Kandel sings, "Our love keeps our bodies moving on," and, with that single line, we're keen to the environment we're dealing with - one that just lets the blood pump away.