Even in Arcadia

Even in Arcadia
Studio album by
Sleep Token
Released9 May 2025 (2025-05-09)
Recorded2024
Genre
Length56:30
LabelRCA
ProducerCarl Bown
Sleep Token chronology
Take Me Back to Eden
(2023) 		Even in Arcadia
(2025)
Singles from Even in Arcadia
  1. "Emergence"
    Released: 13 March 2025
  2. "Caramel"
    Released: 4 April 2025
  3. "Damocles"
    Released: 25 April 2025

Even in Arcadia is the fourth studio album by anonymous English rock band Sleep Token. It was produced by Carl Bown and released on 9 May 2025 by RCA Records.[1]

Concept

This album marks a new era for the band, having concluded the story of Vessel's relationship with 'Sleep' with Take Me Back to Eden in 2023. It is arguably a more personal album, partially unveiling who Vessel is behind the mask.[2][3] The songs mostly delve into the mental and emotional fallout from attaining international fame, while also touching on identity and relationship issues that may or may not involve 'Sleep'.[4]

The title is a partial English translation of the phrase "Et in Arcadia ego", which is "Even in Arcadia, there am I." "Even in Arcadia", the title track, references this in the lyrics: "Even in Arcadia, you walk beside me still."[5]

Release

In February 2025, the band began hinting at a new project through a series of cryptic social media posts on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms.[6] On 19 February 2025, the band released a TikTok video directing people to a website that teased new music.[7] The website depicted the Shugborough inscription, which is associated with the painting Et in Arcadia ego ("Shepherds of Arcadia"), a hint to the title of the upcoming album. The website also allowed users to choose a "house" (initially assigned via e-mail), and could choose between either House Veridian or The Feathered Host.[8][9] On 27 February 2025, the band created two separate Instagram accounts for the respective houses to which sheet music was posted, hinting at another unreleased song.[10][11]

In addition to new artwork and iconography, hidden messages in cyphers and on released sheet music contained references to a blood moon and the numbers 72, 13, and 3, hinting towards an announcement on 13 March, the 72nd day of the year and the date of a a blood moon lunar eclipse.[10][12][13][14]

On 13 March 2025, Sleep Token officially announced their fourth studio album entitled Even in Arcadia, due for release 9 May 2025. They simultaneously released their first single from the album, entitled "Emergence", on all streaming platforms.[15]

The band also announced their first ever U.S. arena headlining tour with confirmed dates, which was set to commence in September 2025.[16] A new website was also launched with brand new merchandise available to pre-order.[1]

Within a week, the single landed on the Billboard Hot 100 after gaining more than 9.9 million plays in the United States and marking the first time the band landed on the U.S.-based chart.[17]

The album's second single, "Caramel", was revealed through a series of posts by WRAL-TV meteorologist Chris Michaels, and was released on 4 April 2025.[18][19] The song debuted at number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's highest-charting single to date.[20]

A third single, "Damocles", was released on 25 April 2025.[21]

Musical style

Musically, Even in Arcadia has been described as alternative metal,[22] djent,[2] pop,[23] R&B,[24] progressive metal,[25] pop rap,[2] trap,[24] and metalcore,[24] with elements of math rock,[26] emo,[27] arena rock,[27] trip hop,[27] electronic,[27] and reggaeton.[28]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.4/10[29]
Metacritic64/100[30]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Arts Desk[31]
AllMusic[32]
Clash8/10[33]
Dork4/5[34]
Kerrang!4/5[35]
NME[28]
Pitchfork2.3/10[2]
Rolling Stone[36]
The Skinny[37]
Sputnikmusic1.5/5[24]

Critical

Even in Arcadia was met with generally favorable reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received a weighted average score of 64, based on eight reviews, which the website categorised as "generally favorable" reception.[30]

Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic gave Even in Arcadia a positive review, commending the band for incorporating many different "styles" on the album. He described the track "Caramel" as the album standout, while deeming the album "a streamlined evolution of their established sound".[32] Writing for Clash, Susan Hansen opined that the album "is an absorbing listen" and that the band explores "unused genre territory" on the record. Hansen ends her review by stating that "Sleep Token's mastery of building musical enigma is completely seamless and continuous, and Even in Arcadia is no exception. It's a unique commercial and artistic asset, which cannot be taught. If anything, they take the precise quality to the next level on this project, with a refinement that's there for everyone to witness".[33] Emma Wilkes of Kerrang! wrote an overall positive review, describing the track "Past Self" as "airy synth-and-drum-machine pop" that "gets a little wobbly", but claiming that the album's "minor quibbles are easily dwarfed by the height of its peaks".[35] Rishi Shah of NME acclaimed the album, opining that it "shatters any pressure of expectation into oblivion, building on the bravery of its predecessor, sonically, while its lyrics reveal the most exposed version of Vessel we've seen yet. From Eden to Arcadia – and beyond – let the worship continue".[28]

Conversely, the album was panned by Eli Enis of Pitchfork, who described it as "smooth, flat, edgeless, and utterly lacking in dynamic payoffs, despite its many attempts to swing from breathy ballads to bludgeoning breakdowns".[2] Likewise, a staff reviewer from Sputnikmusic was critical of the album, criticising its lyrics and describing the album as "probably the band's best and worst work yet". The reviewer continued by stating that "Sleep Token have conclusively proven themselves to be wholly incompetent songwriters, and everything here is almost offensively boring".[24]

Paste named it the second-worst album of 2025.[38] The Guardian's music editor Ben Beaumont-Thomas also named it the worst album of the year, believing that "it sounds like Maroon 5 if they had an iron deficiency."[39]

Accolades

At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, "Emergence" was nominated for "Best Metal Performance" while "Caramel" was nominated for "Best Rock Performance".[40]

Commercial

Even in Arcadia became a commercial success, debuting atop the UK Albums Chart. The album amassed their first songs to chart on the UK Singles Chart, where the lead single "Emergence" became the band's first top 20 single, peaking at number 17, as well as becoming their first song to enter the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 57. In April, "Caramel" became the band's first single to become a top 10 hit in their home country. In the United States, it became their first top 40 hit, peaking at number 34.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Vessel; all music is composed by Vessel and II unless otherwise noted.

Even in Arcadia track listing[41][42][43]
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Look to Windward" 7:46
2."Emergence" 6:26
3."Past Self"Vessel3:34
4."Dangerous" 4:11
5."Caramel" 4:50
6."Even in Arcadia"Vessel4:28
7."Provider" 6:05
8."Damocles" 4:25
9."Gethsemane" 6:23
10."Infinite Baths" 8:23
11."Emergence (instrumental)" (Japanese bonus track) 6:26
12."Even in Arcadia (piano version)" (Japanese bonus track) 2:50
Total length:01:05:46

Personnel

Adapted from Qobuz.[41]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Even in Arcadia
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[89] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[90] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for Even in Arcadia
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 9 May 2025
RCA [27]
Japan 25 June 2025 [42]

References

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