Team Sleep originated as Chino Moreno's idea to create a softer, moody side… Read Full Bio ↴Team Sleep originated as Chino Moreno's idea to create a softer, moody side project from his mainstay, Deftones. Originally, the song "Teenager" (released in 2000 on the Deftones record "White Pony") was meant to be a Team Sleep song. DJ Crook, a long-time friend and roommate of Frank Delgado, had done the beats on Teenager. Chino Moreno decided to start Team Sleep with DJ Crook, and Chino's childhood friend, Todd Wilkinson. To date, Zach Hill and Rick Verrett have been added to the permanent roster as drummer and bassist.

Team Sleep performed a number of live shows on the United States' west coast in late 2001 and early 2002 with Todd Wilkinson, Dan Elkan (Pocket For Corduroy), Sonny Mayugba (Phallucy), Zach Hill (Hella), Rick Verrett (Tinfed) and DJ Crook handling instrumentation.

“We were never going to make a record, or start a band,” adds Wilkinson, “I was just sitting at home, playing guitar, and I started recording some stuff. It was never about trying to play shows, record in a studio, or anything of that sort. It was just bumming around. I had never been in a band, and I never wanted to be—we were just friends.”

It was rumored that Mike Patton (Fantômas, Faith No More) and Melissa Auf Der Maur (ex-Hole, ex-Smashing Pumpkins) would be involved in recording sessions. While Mike Patton did indeed contribute vocals to the track "Kool-Aid Party", this song did not make it to the album. Due to contractual obligations, any material Team Sleep releases will be through Maverick Records. Now that the album is released, it is known that only Rob Crow of San Diego based band Pinback and Mary Timony of the band Wild Flag (ex-Helium, ex-Autoclave) lend their vocals to the project along with Chino.

The only early Team Sleep recording to have been officially released was "The Passportal," an instrumental featured on the The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack. A version of "The Passportal" with lyrics and vocals by Chino Moreno has circulated on the internet under the title "Apollonia."

A full album's worth of material was finished between 2002-2003, but Moreno was reportedly angered after Team Sleep songs were circulated on the internet, mostly by the Deftones own official message board. This, coupled with the release and supporting tour for Deftones' fourth album, kept Team Sleep's recordings from being released. In 2002 there was also a Team Sleep world premiere on POWER 106 FM in Los Angeles: "Mercedes" was played once. The new album has done away with almost all of the previous tracks, only carrying over four of the originals, three of those heavily revamped.

Team Sleep's record was originally scheduled for a November, 2004 release, but Maverick Records were reportedly so impressed by the album they postponed the release until mid-2005 to allow for promotion. Chino supposedly commented that "(I) didn't know whether to be happy that they were impressed, or pissed that they didn't expect much (from Team Sleep) in the first place."

A DJ named 'C-Minus' opening at a Deftones concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood in October, 2004 premiered the newest version of the Team Sleep song 'Cambodia' to the crowd. This song was later changed to 'Ever.' The official Team Sleep website surfaced and included an audio/video clip of the song 'Death By Plane.'

Rumors began to circulate in January 2005 that Team Sleep had broken up due to a falling out between Chino Moreno and DJ Crook. Many fans were distraught at the fact that the long-awaited project might never surface, but the rumors were later proved false.

May 10 was finally pinned down as the date that Team Sleep's self-titled debut album would be released. "The best part about it is having completion of something you've been working on, and having it done right," Moreno said in a statement. "It's fun, working with different people, everybody works differently. When I have time off from music, I want to make other music. That's what I do, that's what's fun, that's what makes me happy." ...(mtv.com)

Team Sleep has been described as "moody" and "beat-driven." More so than the Deftones, many themes and lyrics on the album are fantastical and imaginative in nature; drawing from such literary sources as Poe and historical events like the Jonestown Massacre. The completed album is less electronic in sound and much more 'alt' or 'indie' rock than when the project began.

'Ever' is considered to be the first single from Team Sleep. Notably absent from the completed album are 'Mercedes,' 'Apollonia,' 'Iceache,' 'Death by Plane,' 'Solid Gold,' 'Acoustic One,' and 'Kool-Aid Party'. However, a newer version of 'Kool-Aid Party' was released on the 'Ever (Foreign Flag)' single.

Kool Aid Party
Team Sleep Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I Drink Up
I Drink Up

Rich Cambodia
Sailors Warning
Facedown On The Pillow
Sweet Dreams Of A Stuck Night In Jail

Climbing Higher On Razor Wire
Your Eyes Are Tired
You Think Your Just Down On Your Luck

My Luck Is Changing Feel The Rageing
Let The Fire Burn As We Go ..[still Not Sure About This]?
Kool-aid Party(??) It Makes Me Horny

A Fist Full Of Tears
I Scream When My Ship Has Come In

Your Ship Has Come In,
Your Ship Has Come In.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Team Sleep's "Kool Aid Party" are filled with obscure imagery and somewhat cryptic lines, making them open to interpretation. However, one could argue that the song tells a story of someone who has hit a low point in life but is experiencing a new sense of hope, possibly due to a change in luck. The first two lines, "Rich Cambodia/Sailors Warning," are enigmatic, but they can be interpreted as contrasting the wealth of Cambodia with the warning that sailors would receive about dangerous waters. The singer is then said to be facedown on the pillow and dreaming of being stuck in jail, which could indicate feelings of entrapment and the desire to break free.

As the song progresses, the lyrics become more intense with the line "climbing higher on razor wire," which could be a metaphor for the difficulty in overcoming obstacles. The mention of "kool-aid party" is interesting as kool-aid has become associated with the mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978 where more than 900 people drank cyanide-laced kool-aid. It is unclear whether the lyric is meant to reference that event, but it adds an unsettling layer to the song. The line "it makes me horny" seems out of place but could be interpreted as a sense of liberation and excitement.

The final lines, "A Fist Full Of Tears/I Scream When My Ship Has Come In/Your Ship Has Come In/Your Ship Has Come In," further allude to a sense of newfound hope and success. The singer has overcome their hardships and knows that they will achieve their goals. Overall, the lyrics of "Kool Aid Party" suggest a narrative of struggle, perseverance, and ultimate success.

Line by Line Meaning

I Drink Up
I consume a liquid, likely an alcoholic beverage

Rich Cambodia
A reference to the troubled history and poverty of Cambodia

Sailors Warning
A phrase used to indicate a coming storm or other danger

Facedown On The Pillow
Lying with one's face down on a pillow, possibly in a state of exhaustion or depression

Sweet Dreams Of A Stuck Night In Jail
Having peaceful dreams about being imprisoned or trapped

Climbing Higher On Razor Wire
Making progress despite a difficult and dangerous situation

Your Eyes Are Tired
You appear to be sleepy or exhausted

You Think Your Just Down On Your Luck
You believe that your recent misfortune is due to bad luck

My Luck Is Changing Feel The Rageing
I sense that my luck is improving, and I feel energized by this

Let The Fire Burn As We Go ..[still Not Sure About This]?
Unclear, cannot provide a meaning

Kool-aid Party(??) It Makes Me Horny
Participating in a dangerous or extreme activity (possibly drug-related) is arousing to me