
Sleeper’s Bell is the Chicago-based folk duo of librarian Blaine Teppema (lyrics/guitar/vocals) and Evan Green (guitar). Today, Sleeper’s Bell unveil “Room,” the new single from their forthcoming debut record, Clover, out February 7th via Angel Tapes / Fire Talk. “Room” marks 2025’s first new track from Sleeper’s Bell, following a year which saw the emerging group receive praise from NPR Music, No Expectations, Brooklyn Vegan and more. Showcasing their metamorphosis from bedroom recording project to a full band, “Room” assembles Chicago’s finest to spit-shine Teppema’s dive bar wisdom into polished folk rock
With references to God and Springsteen, “Room” distills the world of Sleeper’s Bell in a little over 3 minutes. “Love is a kind of carefulness, and I’m falling over and dropping shit,” Teppema sings atop Green’s intricate finger-picking and propulsive percussion from Jack Henry (Horsegirl, Friko, Hemlock). The track exists in a long tradition of contemplative folk music, and ends with a simple query: “Am I always gonna feel this way?”
Listen to “Room” by Sleeper’s Bell
The 9 songs on Clover began as therapeutic exercises of Teppema, who works as a children’s librarian by day. Conceived as a practice in writing letters to her younger self, Clover responds to Teppema’s adolescent experiences with the wisdom and kindness that could only come from living through it. These 9 snapshots are captured through a youthful lens but colored by time, as Teppema has poured over lyrics, reshaped songs, and recruited collaborators to help actualize her intentions.
Clover’s credits capture the current iteration of Chicago’s ever-reliable music community, and many of its contributors perform various roles across the project. Recording engineer Jack Henry stood in on drums; Green welcomed roommate Leo Paterniti to assist on both mixing and additional production; and Gabe Bostick (aka Plant Matter) helped produce, contributed piano, and performed additional vocals. Rufus Parenti offers traces of saxophone that appear throughout Clover, and Umarell engineer Max Subar returns for guest spots here on 12-string guitar, pedal steel and bass. Mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer Chris Gelin, Clover is an assemblage of chosen and real family, with Blaine’s dad, Jeff Teppema, lending his fiddle skills to its first three tracks.
Recorded over 2 years, with additional months spent mixing and overdubbing, Clover’s atmosphere oscillates between dense instrumentation and precise acoustics. Teppema’s lyrics are finely honed — catch sly references to Louise Glück and Andy Shauf — and Green’s instrumental direction emphasizes the emotional weight of each word. It’s a masterful debut over a decade in the making, and though these songs have yet to see their proper release, you’ll often catch local crowds singing along. It’s a testament to the ability of Sleeper’s Bell to craft lasting melodies, and to foster environments safe enough for Teppema (and audiences) to sing her innermost thoughts out loud.
“Looking through old journals and drawings and photographs wasn’t easy for me to see, but very necessary nonetheless,” Teppema says. “I tried to bounce between songs I wrote as a teenager and songs I wrote about being a teenager, pulling lyrics from the letters, assuring her that I forgive her, that I understand her, and that she has a beautiful life to look forward to.”
Next week, Sleeper’s Bell will bring their beloved full-band set to Schubas Tavern, opening for Lutalo on Thursday, January 16th. Tickets are on sale here.