Kellin Quinn’s new project, Haunted Mouths, gracefully alternates between lush, sparse, plaintive, and meditative. The debut album, A Collection of Greetings, is a sonic love letter celebrating life’s rich complexity. Produced and co-written by Aaron Marsh (Copeland), the record is a singular experience, with each song demanding a listen to the next as Kellin wraps his invitingly familiar voice in powerful, dreamlike soundscapes. Brimming with atmosphere and mood, the name pays homage to the cemetery near Kellin’s childhood home.

Kellin Quinn possesses one of the most identifiable voices in modern melodic rock. He’s cherished by generations of fans who flock to festivals like When We Were Young. In less than 15 years, his band, Sleeping With Sirens, earned a gold album, a platinum single, and two gold singles. The fierce loyalty of the singer’s devoted following is a testament to how his songs draw strength from vulnerability.

Kellin’s collaborations outside Sleeping With Sirens include the double-platinum “King for a Day,” arguably the biggest anthem of the melodic-rock-meets-metalcore movement, with Pierce The Veil; “Love Race” with Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker; and “Paper Planes” with ONE OK ROCK.

Quinn will always embrace loud guitars and soaring choruses, but he adores various adjacent styles, from dark synth to ambient. Haunted Mouths indulges those disparate tastes with gorgeous results.

When Sleeping With Sirens’ Matty Best gave Kellin a copy of The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity (a 1992 self-help book by Julia Cameron), it helped kickstart a new approach to songwriting. Armed with journaled words, phrases, and ideas, he began contemplating potential producing partners who could help him execute his fresh creative project. Serendipitously, Aaron Marsh posted about the studio he’d just finished in Florida. Marsh is a singer, guitarist, producer, and frontman for the band Copeland (and made a guest appearance on Sleeping With Sirens’ 2010 debut).

“We’ve been friends long, and I love his band. I mean, I named my kid Copeland,” notes Kellin.

Before arriving in Florida with his 15 or so beginnings of lyrics, he sent Aaron some mood and inspiration, including songs by the indie duo Now, Now and the legendary Radiohead. “I didn’t want to make a pop album or an acoustic record. It needed to be dark, drony, haunting, but beautiful.”

A Collection of Greetings was born without a hint of writer’s block. The songs came together in roughly two weeks of sessions as the duo volleyed ideas with synergetic harmony. The microphone was set up right next to Marsh’s monitor. “I hate vocal booths,” Kellin explains. “I feel like you lose the connection with the producer. This way, we could stop, start, and discuss things quickly.”

Vibrant songs like “Searching for a Fire,” “Becoming Nameless,” and “You Built This” took shape briskly. The opening track, “Further Til We Disappear,” resonates broadly with diverse listeners while intimately speaking in a type of code designed for an audience of one, sprinkled with shorthand references to specific places and things within the singer’s longtime marriage. “That song mentions many of her favorite things and different things we share. The whole record is a love letter to her.”

Kellin knew Haunted Mouths was very special when he shared it with a handful of friends. “You hear the first song, and you want to keep listening. It envelops you in a soundscape and moves to different places. It’s unexpected but familiar. That’s why it’s important to experience the entire album.”

Now, Haunted Mouths is shared with the whole world.