Sleep Theory

Sleep Theory delivers the dynamic, heavy bounce and massive vocal hooks that the rock world desperately needs. Cullen Moore is a powerhouse singer who outmatches nearly all his peers, recalling the most classic and timeless pop, R&B, and rock n’ roll vocalists of the last several decades.

“The goal is to write songs that, if you were to strip everything away, would still work as full-on, classic pop tracks that are super memorable yet deeply resonate with people,” Moore explains.

On January 12, 2023, Cullen posted Sleep Theory’s Another Way on TikTok. Exactly one year later, on January 12, 2024, the band started a national tour with platinum rockers Beartooth. Over the next eleven months, Sleep Theory became the fifth most-played artist on Active Rock radio, with three songs on the year-end rock and metal charts on YouTube and Amazon Music, and on tastemaker Spotify playlists.

Jelly Roll and David Draiman (Disturbed) sing the band’s praises. Shinedown, Nothing More, Wage War, Set It Off, and Daughtry took them on the road in the U.S. Falling In Reverse brought them to Europe, and nearly every major international hard rock and radio festival invited them to perform.

“It [went] from posting a TikTok from my apartment [to] on a stage with Beartooth a year later,” marveled Moore in an interview with Loudwire Nights. “It’s absolutely insane and humbling.”

In a shockingly short time, Sleep Theory (Cullen Moore, Paolo Vergara, Daniel, Benjamin Pruitt) amassed over 220 million global streams of the Paper Hearts EP and subsequent singles from its forthcoming full-length debut, Afterglow (due May 16, 2025, via Epitaph Records).

Amazon Music, Loudwire, and Revolver named them an Artist To Watch in 2025. Their story is one of combustible creativity and unstoppable energy, culminating in a monolithic debut album.

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Afterglow

On Afterglow:

• “Stuck in My Head” unapologetically leans into its R&B hooks with stunning results.

• “Paralyzed” modernizes the best of classic nu-metal with power and vulnerability.

• “III” is quite possibly the heaviest song Sleep Theory has done.

• “Static” is unbridled revelry.

• “Parasite” is a masterclass in straightforward rock.

• “Gravity” carries deep meaning, as its title suggests.

• “Words Are Worthless” and “Afterglow” are potent ballads.

All four band members contributed vocals, with David Cowell producing and Zakk Cervini (Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Architects) handling mixing duties.

As Revolver observed:

“Sleep Theory’s rise has been swift, but frontman Cullen Moore has been training for it his whole life.”

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Origins

One of Moore’s earliest memories: listening to Bobby Brown’s 1988 classic My Prerogative in the family’s apartment.

“I remember jumping on the couch, singing the song, just goofing off with my dad and having a good time doing it. I knew my dad used to sing. My mom and I used to watch a music video my dad made when he was younger. I knew I wanted to pursue music. It’s always been what I wanted to do.”

Before Sleep Theory, Moore played in local bands that never took off. He believes Sleep Theory succeeded because their music carries a digestible message:

“Whether you’re a kid, a parent, or a grandparent, you can listen to the songs and appreciate the messages and sounds within them.”

His signature style came together in 2019, when he began collaborating with producer David Cowell. Their sound fuses heavy rock (Linkin Park, Bring Me The Horizon) with pop and R&B, adept at both breakdowns and ballads. Initially, Sleep Theory was primarily a studio project.

Paolo Vergara moved from the Philippines to the U.S. in 2016 to pursue music, later meeting Cullen through Facebook and video games. They connected in person at a birthday party, where Paolo impressed Moore with a Paramore cover. They linked up with drummer Benjamin, who brought in his brother Daniel (guitarist/screamer).

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Breakthrough

A few months after Another Way hit 500k TikTok views in 36 hours, Sleep Theory became the first hard rock band chosen for SiriusXM and Pandora’s Artist Accelerator.

The Paper Hearts EP arrived via Epitaph in September 2023.

“As Sleep Theory, we’ve poured our hearts and souls into crafting our debut EP,” the group said. “Each track is a piece of our collective soul, woven into melodies and lyrics that resonate with our experiences and emotions. Paper Hearts is not just music; it’s our story, our passion, and our dreams set to sound.”

Audiences quickly connected with the singles:

• Another Way

• Numb

• Gone Or Staying

• Fallout → 9th most-played song on Active Rock radio in 2024

• Another Way – Reimagined / Fallout – Reimagined (cinematic reinterpretations)

Cullen explains their success:

“We wrote the Paper Hearts EP without any expectations, and I think that’s partly why it did so well. While we were aware of the expectations from other people for the full-length, we blocked that out and got to work. I am competitive, but that competition is only against myself.”

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Looking Ahead

Afterglow showcases diverse rock flavors:

• “Threes” → heavier than fans might expect

• two ballads → emotionally powerful

• songs designed to guide listeners through difficult emotions

As Revolver declared:

“The band’s exciting mix of metalcore, pop, and R&B is clearly connecting in a big way – and has positioned Sleep Theory as one of heavy music’s biggest breakouts.”

With Afterglow, Sleep Theory continues to exceed expectations, setting new standards for the genre and pushing their craft to new heights.