SINGLE REVIEW: Brutalligators - Can't Sleep
‘Can’t Sleep’ captures that brutally specific anxiety that hits when you’re in your mid-thirties, lying awake and wondering what the hell your body, brain, and life are all doing. Brutalligators have bottled that existential dread and spun it into a bouncy, adrenalised blast of sunshine pop punk with real emotional weight. It’s the sound of lying awake, regretting everything you’ve said since 2006, and knowing full well that tomorrow’s going to be a write-off too—but still somehow laughing through the panic.
There’s a sharp SoCal energy to the track, carried by infectious guitar lines and melodic vocals with just the right amount of bite. The chorus is hooky and immediate, bouncing along on bright drums and shimmering riffs, while the verses are full of character and twitchy restlessness. It plays like a cross between a sugar rush and a nervous breakdown. The vocals hold it all together—twangy and expressive, with great flurries of unclean grit in just the right places. The gang vocals give it that added punch of collective release, like yelling into the void with your mates by your side.
What sets ‘Can’t Sleep’ apart is its balance. It has all the makings of a feel-good summer anthem, but with lyrics that hit hard if you’ve ever stared at the ceiling at 3am wondering if you’ve wasted your potential. It’s upbeat, yes, but not shallow. The energy never undercuts the emotional core—it enhances it. That blend of upbeat chaos and lyrical catharsis puts it in the same orbit as acts like Pup, Mom Jeans, and Modern Baseball, but Brutalligators don’t feel like they’re copying anyone. This sound is theirs, and they deliver it with confidence.
There’s also a raw honesty in the way the track plays out. It never drags, never settles, and never pretends to have answers. It just runs with the feeling and lets it ride. Live, this is the kind of track that’s built to destroy a pit in the best possible way—full of adrenaline, sweaty optimism, and the kind of relatable panic that makes people scream the lyrics with their fists in the air.
‘Can’t Sleep’ is a brilliant clash of energy and emotion. It’s fun, frantic, thoughtful, and painfully real. A hook-laden outburst for anyone trying to hold it together while everything in your body says you’re falling apart. Brutalligators have absolutely nailed the chaos of being alive, tired, and overwhelmed—and somehow made it sound like the best night out you’ve had in years.
