Some songs don’t just exist in the realm of sound—they haunt the spaces between. Sleeps Under Beams, the transatlantic musical project of lyricist Lisa Ann Swain (USA) and multi-instrumentalist & music producer Drew Campbell (The Netherlands), thrives in those spaces, where music feels like an apparition, whispering truths we often try to ignore. Their latest track, Pretty Things, is a testament to that ethos—a dreamlike yet devastating ballad that lingers long after the final note fades.
A Meeting of Minds, A Convergence of Souls
Lisa and Drew’s collaboration began in the autumn of 2020, a time when the world felt both more connected and more distant than ever. Despite being separated by an ocean, their creative synergy was immediate. United by a desire to craft songs that resonate on a deeper emotional level, they vowed to reject the constraints of genre and commercial expectations. Instead, they follow the music wherever it wants to take them.
Their approach is refreshingly organic. Lisa describes her lyric-writing process as almost supernatural—words arrive as if “channeled by the universe,” often triggered by a memory, a feeling, or in the case of Pretty Things, a movie that struck a chord within her. There is no artifice here, no manufactured sentiment. Every word is personal, every line infused with lived experience or close observation.
Drew, on the other hand, brings a cinematic scope to the music. He describes his compositional process as a deep, subconscious absorption of Lisa’s lyrics, waiting for the moment when the melody reveals itself. His fascination with sonic textures and contrasts is evident throughout Pretty Things—the song exists in a twilight state, a delicate balance between dream and nightmare, beauty and decay. “That may sound very David Lynch,” he admits, “but then, I adore David Lynch.”
The Sound of Fragile Devastation
From its very first notes, Pretty Things feels like it’s unraveling in slow motion, its ethereal quality heightened by the hypnotic production choices. Drew meticulously constructed the instrumental landscape, choosing an intentionally limited sonic palette to maintain cohesion.
Textural synth pads and vintage string machines glide beneath shimmering guitars—his beloved Eastwood Baritone, a Rickenbacker, and an ES335—while a clavichord and a Prophet 5 synth inject a touch of retro drama. And then, there’s the theremin—a ghostly, wailing presence, added “purely out of self-indulgence,” as Drew cheekily confesses.
The rhythm section, anchored by a dry Gretsch kit and a Fender P-Bass, was designed to feel organic and live, grounding the otherwise celestial atmosphere. But it’s Anna Rhea’s voice that ties it all together. Her ethereal yet powerful delivery doesn’t just carry the melody; it breathes the lyrics, elevating them to something almost sacred. Drew employs a subtle production trick—double-tracking her vocal and using a harmonizer to create an almost imperceptible lift, a technique inspired by the great Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins fame.
Everything, from the instruments to the final mix, was drenched in lush reverbs and run repeatedly through tape machines until it sounded “mushy and faded”—intentionally imperfect, like a memory just out of reach.
A Beautiful, Broken Lament
Lyrically, Pretty Things is a confrontation wrapped in poetry. It paints the portrait of a love story gone toxic — a partner who once promised the world, only to trap and diminish the person they claimed to adore. It’s a narrative of possession masquerading as devotion, of a beautiful soul clipped and controlled.
“She trusted you like the wind
Thought you’d carry her higher
But that was never the plan
Instead, her freedom you stole
Her wings laced with holes
She was restrained not by chains
But by your silver band.”
It’s both heartbreakingly intimate and universally resonant. Many listeners will see their own reflections in these words — perhaps recognizing a past wound, perhaps having an epiphany about a present one. Lisa hopes that for at least one person, the song will be a wake-up call. “If it could help even one person realize they need to leave a toxic situation, that would be a reward in itself,” she says.
The Space Between Beauty and Ruin
There’s a reason Sleeps Under Beams doesn’t fit neatly into any genre. They don’t create music designed for easy consumption—they craft experiences meant to be felt. Pretty Things is a song that exists in the spaces between light and shadow, between love and control, between flight and entrapment.
It’s haunting. It’s hypnotic. And it’s utterly unforgettable.
Follow Sleeps Under Beams via their website, Bandcamp, Spotify, Amazing Radio and Youtube
Pretty Things Lyrics
Verse I
Neither butterflies or angels
Can fly with broken wings
Nor can they soar
When tethered by strings
But you don’t really care
In your quest to possess
Such pretty things
If you’re happy, that’s all that matters
Bridge
I cry now because she was both
Once upon a time, once upon a time
A colorful creature
Of gentle soul
Who breathed the divine
Chorus
She trusted you like the wind
Thought you’d carry her higher
But that was never the plan
Instead
Her freedom you stole
Her wings laced with holes
She was restrained not by chains
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
Mid Eight
You say you long for beauty
In a world uninspiring
Yet you’re blind to the ugliness
You hide
As you sit, watching her dying
Fading more day by day
Verse II
How much more would she have become
How high could she have flown
If she were free
Not claimed for your own
But you have never cared
In your quest to possess
A pretty thing
But you’re happy and that’s what matters
Bridge
I cry now because she was both
Once upon a time, once upon a time
A colorful creature
Of gentle soul
Who breathed the divine
Chorus
She trusted you like the wind
Thought you’d carry her higher
But that was never the plan
Instead
Her freedom you stole
Her wings laced with holes
She was restrained not by chains
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
Mid Eight
You say you long for beauty
In a world uninspiring
Yet you’re blind to the ugliness
You hide
As you sit, watching her dying
Fading more day by day
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
But by your silver band
Day by day
Ending
Inside she is dying
But only you matter
