Instrumental Rockers Sleeping Dogs Drop Debut Album ‘Blunt Razor’

On October 13, the Beijing-based instrumental rock band Sleeping Dogs released their first full-length album, Blunt Razor, via Space Fruity Records.

Blunt Razor features 11 tracks, and two singles from the LP — ‘小黄金树’ (a reference to the luminous tree from the hit video game Elden Ring) and ‘Agora Bar’ — were released earlier this month.

Founded in 2017, Sleeping Dogs take their name from an open-world action-adventure video game released by United Front Games and Square Enix London Studios. According to the band’s profile page on the Chinese streaming platform NetEase Cloud Music, the group is “influenced by different kinds of groove-oriented music and tries to blend them into a new instrumental form.”

Before this long-awaited album, Sleeping Dogs dropped several minor releases, including their first EP Space Puppy, Pinang Tunes, and Petedogs, the latter a collaboration with producer nechetep and label Eating Music.

Sleeping Dogs has gradually become known to the general public over the past two years by combining diverse grooves from different regions and cultures while presenting engaging and cheerful instrumental mixes.

Although Sleeping Dogs is still a relatively young band, they’ve already won the hearts of thousands of fans, as well as recommendations from famous Chinese rock stars such as Yao Lan from Second Hand Rose and Zhao Zijian from Hedgehog.

To support their new album, Sleeping Dogs is also set to do a live tour across China. From November 19 to December 11, the group will hit seven cities, namely Guangzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi’an. DJ and producer Jinsfake will also join as a special guest.

Cover image via Weibo