Sleep Return With New Lineup, New Single, and a Massive 2026 Tour

Sleep are back. Not in a "reunion show here and there" kind of way. The stoner doom legends just dropped their first new music in eight years, unveiled a completely rebuilt lineup, and announced a 32-date North American tour for fall 2026. Oh, and there's a comic book too. Because of course there is.

The new single "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" is out now via Jack White's Third Man Records, and it marks a significant turning point for the band. This is Sleep without Matt Pike on guitar for the first time ever. Let that sink in.

A Whole New Sleep

Bassist and songwriter Al Cisneros, the one constant through every era of Sleep, has rebuilt the band from scratch. Joining him are Dale Crover on drums and Bubba Dupree on guitar. If those names don't immediately register, you need to do some homework.

Crover is a lifer in the Melvins and has played with Redd Kross. That pick makes total sense. Dupree, though? That's the wild card. He comes from Void, the fiercely loved D.C./Maryland hardcore band, and nobody saw that coming. It's a choice that sounds almost too good to be real.

According to Cisneros, the chemistry was instant: "The vibe of the first jam was obvious. It was blue sunglasses-era Iommi in the quality, and equally awesome is Bubba is also one of the coolest people I've been able to make music with."

The press materials make it clear this isn't a nostalgia play. "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" isn't trying to pick up where 2018's The Sciences left off. With this much new blood in the band, imitation would limit what three very different, very talented musicians can do together. And honestly, the single backs that up. It's still unmistakably Sleep, that sludgy wall of sound is intact, but there's a different energy running through it.

One more detail that's too perfect to skip: the edit of the single runs exactly four minutes and twenty seconds. You can't make this stuff up.

What Happened to Matt Pike?

There's not a ton of public detail on Pike's departure. As recently as March 2024, he had hinted at upcoming recording and performing plans with Sleep. The press release simply states that Cisneros "wishes Matt the best on his earthbound maneuvers." Pike stays busy as the frontman of High on Fire, who won the 2019 Grammy for Best Metal Performance and released Cometh the Storm in 2024.

Meanwhile, former drummer Jason Roeder revealed in January 2025 that he'd been "unceremoniously fired by Sleep's manager over the phone" in November 2024. Roeder has since returned to Neurosis, who announced their first album in 10 years, An Undying Love For A Burning World, in March 2026.

The Marijuanaut Comic

Because Sleep have never done anything halfway, they're also dropping Issue #1 of the Sleep Comic Book, written by Cisneros and illustrated by Dave Kloc and Arik Roper. It follows The Marijuanaut on a journey to the "riff-filled land" of Planet Iommia, where encounters with The Weedian await. If you know, you know.

The limited-edition bundle includes the comic, a full cover poster, signed bookplate, designed rolling papers, and a flexidisc of "Have Spacesuit Will Travel." It's available for pre-order now via Third Man Books.

32 Dates Across North America

The tour is massive. Sleep kick things off September 8 at The Observatory in San Diego and wind through the West Coast, up into Canada, and back down through the Southwest before wrapping the first leg on September 29 in Santa Ana. Then they pick it back up November 4 in Minneapolis for a full East Coast and Midwest run, closing it out November 17 at Lincoln Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Highlights include a headlining set at Levitation in Austin on September 13, two-night stands at Neptune Theatre in Seattle and The Fillmore in San Francisco, and a stop at Brooklyn Paramount on November 16. These are proper venues too. The Fillmore, The Wiltern, First Avenue, Roadrunner. They're not messing around.

Here's the full routing:

September

Sept. 8 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory
Sept. 9 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
Sept. 10 – Albuquerque, NM @ The Revel Entertainment Center
Sept. 12 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
Sept. 13 – Austin, TX @ Levitation
Sept. 14 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre
Sept. 16 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Sept. 17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Grand At The Complex
Sept. 18 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall
Sept. 20 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Sept. 21 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
Sept. 22 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
Sept. 23 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
Sept. 25 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Sept. 26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Sept. 27 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Sept. 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
Sept. 29 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory

November

Nov. 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
Nov. 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
Nov. 6 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
Nov. 7 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
Nov. 9 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Hall
Nov. 10 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
Nov. 11 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Ballroom
Nov. 12 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
Nov. 13 – Hudson, NY @ Basilica Hudson
Nov. 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
Nov. 16 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
Nov. 17 – Washington, D.C. @ Lincoln Theatre

Tickets and On-Sale Info

Artist presales launch Monday, June 23 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. The general public on-sale follows on Wednesday, June 25 at 10 a.m. local time. No presale codes have been publicly announced yet.

You can find tickets through Ticketmaster or track the dates on Bandsintown.

I'll be real, the last time Sleep played live was 2022. Before that, The Sciences dropped on 4/20 in 2018 and snapped a drought that stretched all the way back to Dopesmoker. This band has always operated on their own timeline, and when they decide to move, they move big. A new lineup, a new single, a comic book, and 32 tour dates is about as big as it gets.

No support acts have been announced yet, but honestly, these rooms are going to be packed regardless. If you've been waiting for Sleep to come back, this is it. Set your alarms for June 23 and grab those presale tickets before they're gone.

Cover photo via Ticketmaster