The Lexicon: It Helps Me Daydream

Courtesy of Alexis Schlesinger

By Alexis Schlesinger

Editorial Staff

Sharing is an essential part in having success in the music industry. As a musician, you may be sharing vulnerable pieces of yourself in your lyrics, or when you interact with fans who have been inspired by you. Maybe what you share is simply the time you give when you get on stage and perform for your fans. For Philadelphia-based bands Slow Burning Daydream and It Helps Me Sleep, they aren’t just sharing their time, music, and passion. They’re also sharing two band members. It certainly makes touring together a whole lot easier. Emo thrash metal band Slow Burning Daydream and post-hardcore band It Helps Me Sleep kicked off their March 2026 tour at Philly Style Pizza in Philadelphia on Thursday, March 19. I’ve been in a handful of interesting spaces in my time going to shows, but a pizza place was not one I expected to be in. Despite the unexpected setting, the show was fantastic. SBD and IHMS certainly have the ability to make any room feel like a concert hall, even when you’re 2 feet away from them on the wooden floor of a local pizza shop. The kickoff show was unique from the rest of the tour, as Henry, the bassist from IHMS, and Sean Crawford, the newest vocalist for SBD, were both unable to join the two bands for the rest of the shows. The sound of each band with or without their non-touring members was different, but not any better or worse either way. All of the musicians of both bands are so strong and tight with their performance, they’re able to adapt to however many members they have to perform with. Following the Philadelphia kickoff show, and the sad departure from the members staying behind, the two bands started their northward travels to Western Massachusetts. For the remainder of their tour, Slow Burning Daydream consisted of guitarist/vocalist Elijah Senter, guitarist Catharine Daubert, bassist J.D. Joseph, and drummer Trent Huber. It Helps Me Sleep was composed of guitarist/vocalist Catharine Daubert, lead vocalist Allie Bilger, and drummer Elijah Senter. There are great music scenes all over Massachusetts, but if you’re looking for a hardcore scene, Western Mass is the place to go. SBD and IHMS played with two fantastic local bands, Rhubarb Duo and GLASSS, for their last tour stop inside the United States. The tour then took the two bands across the eastern region of Canada over the span of a week, with shows in Montreal, Sherbrooke, Halifax, and Moncton. Of the four shows, Slow Burning Daydream’s most stand-out performance was in Montreal. SBD played third in a lineup with four additional punk acts, a bill the band liked to call a “tour sandwich,” due to having the touring act directly in the middle of all-local talent. The pressure to show up and show out was on that night, as SBD contained not only the youngest performers for the night, but were also the only non-Québécois act, and the only band lacking the spiky, alternative, “punk uniform” everyone else seemed to be in. These guys played in their sweatshirts. However, having something to prove only made them play harder than they did on any other show of the tour. The crowd seemed to be just as impressed as I was, and many approached the band following their set to express their compliments. It Helps Me Sleep had their best set during the Halifax show at Gus’ Pub. Every set each band played was fantastic, but there was something special that night. The band’s crowd interaction had gotten noticeably more natural and confident since the beginning of the tour, and led to IHMS having their liveliest crowd yet. There is endless praise to be sung about these two bands' musical talent, but after having the opportunity to spend an entire tour with them, it can’t go without mentioning how great they are in character and what they stand for. Both bands have released and performed music with themes of activism, human rights, community, or reflections on personal struggles, all of which have connected with their fans from all over. Upon getting to know them on a personal level, it’s clear to see each band member embodies their passion and love for their music, their community, and the greater world through their actions in their everyday lives. This tour wasn’t their first, but it was mine. I don’t think I could’ve been any luckier, or picked a better choice of bands to share my first tour with.