Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
“Caramel,” the second single released prior to Sleep Token‘s highly successful fourth studio album “Even In Arcadia,” has been recognized as the best song of 2025 by The New York Times, according to veteran music journalist Jon Caramanica. The track was first made available online on April 4th of this year and is currently nominated for ‘Best Rock Song’ at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards, as theprp reports.
The composition presents an eclectic fusion of genres, including metal, dream-pop, reggaeton, and rap. Its lyrical themes address the band’s experiences with fans’ invasion of privacy and disregard for personal boundaries. Past incidents involved obsessive fans leaking band members’ personal documents and making threats of stalking, which the song appears to reflect upon.
Musically, “Caramel” features shimmering, dream-like sections that evoke the initial admiration of the group’s fanbase. As the song progresses, its lyrics adopt a more sardonic tone, with vocalist Vessel expressing distress over the erosion of the band’s carefully maintained mystique. The song encapsulates the emotional toll of attempting to remain concealed amid increasing public scrutiny.
Despite achieving commercial success and performing in sold-out venues, Sleep Token has made significant efforts to maintain their privacy. The challenges associated with preserving this mystique have evidently taken a psychological toll.
As Vessel vividly reflects on the negative consequences of fame, the intensity of the track escalates accordingly. The music embodies a forceful release, culminating in a raw eruption of screams, primal riffs, and powerful double bass drumming.
Irrespective of individual opinions regarding the band’s overall sound, the thematic coherence of this song, along with the deliberate alignment of instrumentation to lyrical themes, exhibits a nearly cinematic quality from a compositional standpoint.
Having achieved chart success across multiple continents with their acclaimed album “Even In Arcadia,” Sleep Token has expanded into a different domain: coloring books. The enigmatic alternative metal collective collaborated with Rock N’ Roll Colouring to produce an officially licensed coloring book titled ‘The Official Sleep Token Colouring Book.’ Copies are available for purchase through eyesoremerch.com and include a complimentary mandala print as a bonus.
