ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2014: Vancouver Sleep Clinic

With the sudden rise of LONDON GRAMMAR and the love everybody already has for BON IVER and SIGUR ROS, atmospheric pop has definitely got a small community going and a following that will happily sit in a quiet space, candles ablaze and just sit and listen to the sounds that stretch from their speakers.

A new face in the atmospheric pop sector is slowly rising and will no doubt be on your radar in 2014. 17-year-old Tom Bettinson has been creating some sweet, melancholic tracks under the name VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC and he will truly, blow you away.

His soft vocals sound extremely similar to that of BON IVER, but there is something about VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC that makes him stand out from the other atmospheric acts that you see floating around today. It may be that, being only 17, he knows how the young mind works and his lyrics are pretty relatable.

VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC is extremely new to the music scene not only in his chosen genre, but even in his hometown, the boy only has two songs sitting on his Soundcloud page, his first track 'Vapour', and latest single 'Collapse'.

'Vapour' is an acoustic track with the atmospheric ambience of a cabin where you vanish to when you want to sit in your own solitude and vanish into your own mind. Again, the intricate guitar and soft samples that drive 'Vapour' take you into BON IVER territory, but it has a younger mind behind the helm and a fresh look on the lighter side of pop.

'Collapse' is a lot more mature than 'Vapour', and I say that in a totally musical way. You can hear how much deeper into his craft VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC has ventured to capture his musical essence. The vocals are slightly deeper, the melody more solid and the haunting lyrics, "we've been outgrown" hover through your mind taking you somewhere you didn't plan on going.

VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC have their debut EP coming out in 2014 and this is when everyone will really start paying attention. The collection of songs on the EP will be fantastic and if 'Vapour' and 'Collapse' are anything to go by, then you know you're in for some sweet, spacious sounds that will leave you wanting more.

Words by Lauren Payne

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LISTEN: VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC 'COLLAPSE'