Of all the different types of sleepless nights one might experience, the kind that inspired the title of Kelcey Ayer’s debut solo EP—as well as most of its songs’ subject matter—is certainly among the most gratifying. After a brief stint as Jaws of Love, the former Local Native returned at the beginning of 2025 with a series of singles inspired by the long nights he experienced as the parent of a newborn, the release’s indie-pop experiments reflecting the contemplative period of insomnia that marked the first few months of fatherhood. “I’d be frustrated,” he shares of his loss of sleep, “but then see his little green eyes look into mine and I’d be flooded with love and affection.”
At six tracks, No Sleep is a series of short vignettes of Ayer’s home life that range from the anxieties of the maternity ward to the strolls he took with his wife around Highland Park before the baby was born, which he plans to some day recount to his child (in song or otherwise). Subtle touches like the use of some of his son’s gifts—a ukulele, percussive toy blocks—only heighten the visceral sense of joining the songwriter in his living room at 4 a.m. as he descends into a momentary state of madness thinking about those stupid mugs that say “Don’t talk to me before I’ve had my coffee,” as comically documented on the title track.
With the EP out today, Ayer walked us track by track through the release, going into detail on the profound moments of pre- and post-fatherhood revelation that inspired him. Check it out below.
1. “The Arrival”
The EP is all about my first year being a father, and I like to think of this track as my son’s entrance into the world. We had two miscarriages leading up to him, so we weren’t going to feel at ease until he was in our arms. The second he arrived we felt such relief and calm, like holding your breath underwater for the longest time and finally coming up for air. I wanted the song to feel like that first breath.
2. “Don’t Look Down”
After the relief of my son being born had worn off, I started to feel sheer terror. I spent the first night in the hospital staring at him in his little clear-plastic bassinet while a slow-churning panic attack kept me up all night. I had no idea what it would feel like to see this tiny being and feel the weight of my responsibility to keep him safe. The first few weeks of no sleep and constantly watching over him were equal parts exhausting and rewarding. I’d be frustrated, but then see his little green eyes look into mine and I’d be flooded with love and affection. The song is about me wrestling with how many emotions came into full-view once he was here.
3. “Different Planets”
I wrote “Different Planets” on a baby blue ukulele given to my newborn son as a gift. I’d never written on ukulele or owned one, so if it weren’t for the birth of my son, this song would not exist. It started as something I’d play to soothe him, and then became a song about teaching his first life lessons. I focused on how all of the differences we see in ourselves or the world are actually so much more connective than they are divisive. I self-produced and self-engineered the song (the whole EP, actually) in my home studio here in Los Angeles, and even used other toys that were gifted to my son in the recording (a toy wooden block is heavily used in the percussion). I performed everything myself, except for Jordana and Alejandro Aranda lending vocals and added-acoustic guitar, respectively, for which I could not be more grateful.
4. “Ghosts of Neighborhood Dogs” (feat. Jordana)
My wife and I moved to Highland Park in 2019, and since we walk our dog Tasha twice a day, it forced us to get to know our new neighborhood really quickly. There was this Doberman named Diesel who barked bloody murder at us every day we walked by his house for literally three years straight. At first it was terrifying, but then we made a game out of it, saying silly things, singing him “Happy Birthday,” whatever we thought of at the time. Then all of a sudden he was gone. It was eerily quiet from then on, but we could swear we still heard his barks for months after. The song imagines me telling Diesel’s story to our son who was born after Diesel passed away, as a way of getting him to know our home, our neighborhood, and our history. Regarding the song itself, I wanted it to be a duet and was so psyched that Jordana was down to sing it with me. She crushed it.
5. “No Sleep”
Once our son was born, my wife and I were taken by surprise at how little sleep you get. The song basically is me spiraling into madness using that cliché phrase you see on shirts at tourist gift shops: “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee.” I had a lot of fun coming up with things that made me laugh, and I was also able to use this drum beat I wrote years ago that I’d always loved, but never fit anywhere before.
6. “Mother Is the Real Jesus”
One of the biggest epiphanies I had in becoming a father was what I discovered while watching my wife become a mother. I thought I generally knew the physical and mental toll, but you can’t truly understand until you witness it. Not only bringing a baby to term, with all its anxieties and discomfort, but then seeing your partner in so much pain—literally tearing their body apart to perform a miracle. Then, once the baby is born, it’s attached to the mother in such a profound way. They say a baby sees its mother’s body as an extension of its own, and the mother has no other choice than to say yes. It’s a love I never knew was possible until I saw it. I’m not religious anymore, but the only comparison I could think of was Jesus Christ. I have no idea if he actually existed, but the person Christians talk about couldn’t be more similar to a mother.
