So What? (While She Sleeps album)

On 7 June 2018, the band confirmed via social media that they were in the process of writing a new album.[3] Production on the record was completed in October 2018. In an interview with Metal Hammer, guitarist Sean Long stated "I think people know the name While She Sleeps, but they don’t have a real idea of what sort of band we are. That makes me really proud, and we are aiming to surprise people again."[4]

In October 2018, a figure in a white hazmat suit and gas mask was posted to the band's social media, holding a flash drive said to contain unreleased music. The drives could be retrieved from these figures at specific points around in London and Sheffield.[5] The drives contained a snippet of the song "Anti-Social", which was premiered during the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show on 29 October 2018.[6] The music video for the song was released the same day, confirming the band's fourth album would be called So What? and would be released on 1 March 2019.[7] The second single, "Haunt Me", was released on 21 December 2018,[8] and the third single, "The Guilty Party", was released on 30 January 2019.[9]

On 18 February 2019, the band released a behind-the-scenes documentary from filmmaker Roscoe Neil, detailing the album's recording process and some difficulties the band faced leading up to the album's release.[10] The documentary revealed that Carl Bown, the producer for both This Is the Six and Brainwashed, had produced the album. Five days later, the fourth single, "Elephant", was premiered on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, along with a music video later the same day. So What? was fully released on 1 March 2019.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Already Heard	[1]
Dead Press!	[2]
Exclaim!	[11]
Kerrang!	[12]
Louder Sound	[13]

So What? has received a generally positive reception for numerous music critics. Several reviews have indicated that the album is a slightly different direction for the band, drifting away from traditional metalcore roots in favor of a more alternative, even electronic, sound. Writing for Louder Sound, Stephen Hill calls the album "easily the most experimental and oddly challenging album the band have ever put together."[13] Paul Travers of Kerrang! also notes the changes, saying "there are plenty of riff-heavy body-slams and fiery, politicised lyrics, but this is a shinier, more melodic, accessible and sonically polished affair than its predecessors."[12] In his review for Exclaim!, Max Morin calls the album a "mixed bag where some ideas work and others don't," and criticizes it for feeling "more like a transparent attempt at marketability than genuine musical vision."[11]

All songs written and composed by While She Sleeps.

Notes

• All track titles are stylised in capital letters.