Deafheaven | |
|---|---|
 Deafheaven inCopenhagen in 2017. From left to right: Shiv Mehra, Chris Johnson, George Clarke, andKerry McCoy, with Daniel Tracy in the background. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | San Francisco,California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | Creepers |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
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| Website | deafheaven |
Deafheaven is an Americanblackgaze band formed in 2010. Originally based inSan Francisco, the group began as a two-piece with singer George Clarke and guitaristKerry McCoy, who recorded and self-releaseda demo album together. Following its release, Deafheaven recruited three new members and began to tour. Before the end of 2010, the band signed toDeathwish Inc. and later released their debut albumRoads to Judah, in April 2011. They popularized a unique style blendingblack metal,shoegaze, andpost-rock, among other influences, later called blackgaze by reviewers.
Deafheaven's second album,Sunbather, was released in 2013 to wide critical acclaim, becoming one of the best reviewed albums of the year in the US.[1] In 2015 the band followed up withNew Bermuda[2] and in 2018 withOrdinary Corrupt Human Love. Their 2021 album,Infinite Granite, drastically reduced the presence ofscreamed vocals. In 2025, they releasedLonely People with Power, which featured a heavier and more aggressive sound.[3]
Deafheaven formed in February 2010[4] inSan Francisco,California with vocalist George Clarke and guitaristKerry McCoy, who previously performed in thegrindcore band Rise of Caligula together.[5][6] Clarke is not sure how he arrived on the name Deafheaven, though he is aware of its appearance inWilliam Shakespeare'sSonnet 29. The two words 'deaf' and 'heaven' were combined as a homage toSlowdive.[7]
Clarke and McCoy recordedan untitled demo album in April 2010 at Atomic Garden Studios[8] withJack Shirley for aboutUS$500, which the band could not afford at the time.[9] Because the duo did not own an electric guitar or amp at the time, the demo was written on an acoustic guitar and recorded with equipment borrowed from the studio.[9] The untitled demo, which was released digitally and on cassette tape in limited quantities, featured four songs that combined traditionalblack metal andpost-rock.[10] Originally, Deafheaven did not intend to release the material, but they later sent it out to a few of their favorite blogs.[5][10] After the demo had been positively received, Clarke and McCoy recruited three additional musicians—bassist Derek Prine, guitarist Nick Bassett of theshoegaze bandWhirr (formerly Whirl[11]) and drummer Trevor Deschryver, who responded to an ad onCraigslist—to form a five-piece group, and started playing their first shows in July 2010.[5][10]
Deafheaven announced they had signed toDeathwish Inc. in December 2010[12]—a label that was founded byConverge's vocalistJacob Bannon. Deathwish contacted Deafheaven, and originally only wanted to give their demo a wide physical release. By this point, the group already had some new material written and asked if Deathwish could release both the demo and the new material.[10] The first release that Deafheaven released through Deathwish was a 7" vinyl single that featured "Libertine Dissolves" and "Daedalus", two songs that were taken from the group's demo. The single was pressed in a limited quantity and sent out as a gift to random people that made a purchase from Deathwish's webstore.[13]
Their debut album,Roads to Judah, was released on April 26, 2011 through Deathwish.[8] The title of the album is a reference to theN Judah light rail that provides transportation in Deafheaven's hometown,[10] and lyrically the album is about Clarke's "year of substance abuse and debauchery."[14]Roads to Judah received positive reviews fromDecibel andRVA Magazine,[15][16] and was placed on several year-end lists includingNPR,Pitchfork andThe A.V. Club.[17][18][19]MSN Music also named Deafheaven one of the best new artists of 2011.[20]
To promoteRoads to Judah, Deafheaven performed at Austin, Texas'SXSW festival in March 2011,[5][14] toured the United States with the Canadiannoise rock bandKEN mode in June 2011,[21] performed at California's Sound and Fury Festival in July 2011,[22] toured the US with the post-rock bandRussian Circles in November 2011,[23] and performed a European tour in February 2012.[24] McCoy said that Russian Circles "took us under their wing" while on tour and taught them how a band ought to behave. He said, "The three rules of any successful band are to write good tunes, be excellent live, and to not be an asshole while doing that. We were always striving to do that, but [Russian Circles] hammered it into our heads."[25] Deafheaven also participated in the mid-2012 festivalsNorthside in Brooklyn, New York[26] andFun Fun Fun in Austin, Texas.[27]
As a part of Deathwish Inc's free live album series, Deafheaven releasedLive at The Blacktop in July 2011. The album featured an entire live performance from January 15, 2011 in Bell Gardens, California at The Blacktop—a formerloading dock converted into a venue.[28] In October 2012, Deafheaven released asplit EP with the American black metal bandBosse-de-Nage throughThe Flenser. Deafheaven contributed a cover of twoMogwai songs, "Punk Rock" and "Cody", released as a single track.[29] The two songs originate from Mogwai's 1999 albumCome On Die Young. Also in 2012, Deafheaven released a remastered, limited-edition vinyl record of its 2010 demo throughSargent House.[30]
As early as September 2011, Deafheaven announced they had begun writing new music for a potential split album, EP or full-length. At the time, McCoy described the material as being "faster, darker, a lot heavier and far more experimental" thanRoads to Judah.[4] However, in December 2012, Clarke described their new material as less melancholic and less centered around black metal, but rather featuring a more "lush and rock-driven, even pop-driven" sound at times.[31] The new album, titledSunbather, was written solely by founding members Clarke and McCoy[32]—similar to the way its demo was composed, but different fromRoads to Judah, which was written as a five-piece band. The duo were also joined in the studio by new drummer Daniel Tracy,[33] who "added his own drum style to already-constructed song skeletons."[32] The title of the album reflects Clarke's idea of perfection. He stated that it is meant to represent, "A wealthy, beautiful, perfect existence that is naturally unattainable and the struggles of having to deal with that reality because of your own faults, relationship troubles, family troubles, death, et cetera."[32] Deafheaven entered the studio to recordSunbather in January 2013 with Jack Shirley,[31] and released the album on June 11, 2013 through Deathwish.[34]
Sunbather was critically acclaimed upon release.Metacritic rated the album 92/100, based on 18 reviews,[35] and later declared it the best-reviewed major album of 2013.[1] It was also Deafheaven's first release to chart onBillboard—it ranked at number 130 on theBillboard 200 and number 2 on theTop Heatseekers chart.[36]
In addition to new drummer Daniel Tracy, who was a part of the band for the recording ofSunbather, the band recruited bassist Stephen Clark and guitarist Shiv Mehra for 2013 tours.[6] Founding members Clarke and McCoy said previous band members parted ways due to difficulties with life on the road and earning little-to-no money.[9] Deafheaven's first tour in support ofSunbather was a European/Russian tour with The Secret in April/May 2013[37] followed by a US tour with Marriages in June/July.[38] In 2014, Deafheaven toured Australia in January,[39] supportedBetween the Buried and Me withIntronaut andThe Kindred in February/March,[40] toured Asia and Europe in May/June,[41] the US withPallbearer in June,[41] then embarked on a second European tour in August,[42] and a North American tour withNo Joy in September.[42]
In 2013, Deafheaven members Daniel Tracy and Shiv Mehra formed apsychedelic rock side project called Creepers with Varun Mehra and Christopher Natividad. That year, the band released a self-titled EP, and in 2014, released its debut albumLush through All Black Recording Company[43][44]—an indie label founded by George Clarke and former Deafheaven member Derek Prine.[45]
On August 25, 2014, Deafheaven released a new single titled "From the Kettle Onto the Coil" as a part of the cable networkAdult Swim's 2014 weekly singles series.[46] Clarke described the song as following a similar formula to songs composed forSunbather and was not a strong indication of what the band's third studio album might sound like.[47]
In July 2015, Deafheaven began teasing their third studio album for a possible October 2015 release throughEpitaph Records' sister labelAnti- with a short video featuring new music clips, studio footage and views of a rocky coastline.[48][49] On July 28, 2015, the band announced their third studio album, titledNew Bermuda, which was released on October 2, 2015, through Anti-.[50]New Bermuda was named the 12th best album of the year in 2015Spin magazine.[51]
The band started working on the follow-up toNew Bermuda in January 2018, when they announced they were in the studio working on a new album, scheduled for release later in the year.[52] On April 17, 2018, the band released "Honeycomb", the lead single to their fourth studio albumOrdinary Corrupt Human Love.[53] On June 12, 2018, a new track from the new album titled "Canary Yellow" was released.[54][55] The album was released on July 13, 2018 through Anti-. It received widespread acclaim from critics.
On December 7 it was announced that the single "Honeycomb" was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Metal Performance.[56][57]
The band released a B-side from their fourth album, "Black Brick", on February 27, 2019.[58] The band released a 10-year commemorative live-in-studio record, called10 Years Gone, on December 4, 2020. The release notes of the record stated that the band was "thankful [they] were able to do this project and that fans have stuck with [them] as [they] make new music for 2021," hinting at an upcoming studio album.[59][60]
On June 7, 2021, the band wiped their social media pages, and posted a teaser video with the date "08.20.21" on their official website as well as to their social media outlets.[61] Two days later, a new single entitled "Great Mass of Color" was released to streaming services. It features a shoegaze style with clean vocals, a departure from the black metal influences of their previous albums. It was then revealed to be the lead single to the band's fifth studio album, entitledInfinite Granite.[62]
In April 2023, Deafheaven headlined theRoadburn Festival in the Netherlands, performingSunbather (for its 10-year anniversary) andInfinite Granite in full on consecutive nights.[63]
On February 7, 2024, the band posted a teaser video to announce their signing withRoadrunner Records.[64][65]
In January 2025, Deafheaven began teasing their sixth studio album,Lonely People with Power[66] Shortly after, the band announced the release of a new single, "Magnolia," accompanied by an official music video.[67] The album was released on 28 March 2025.[68] It reintroduced theblack metal elements that were largely absent onInfinite Granite.[69]
Deafheaven's musical style has been described byRolling Stone as a "boundary-pushing blend ofblack metal,shoegaze andpost-rock",[70] later dubbedblackgaze.[71][72] They have also been categorised asscreamo.[73][74] McCoy has cited various other influences on the band's sound, includingalternative rock and earlythrash metal, and said they do not consider themselves a black metal band, because, although influenced by the genre, they do not have "the ethos, the aesthetic or really the sound of one".[75] In a 2017 interview withRed Bull Music Academy Daily, McCoy stated: "The whole shoegaze/black metal, or post-black metal thing, was being done ten years before we were a band."[76] George Clarke citedBurzum, ColdWorld,Leviathan,Iron Maiden,Metallica,Slayer,Morbid Angel,Pantera,Weakling,Yaphet Kotto,Funeral Diner, andThursday as influences.[77][78]
Upon the creation of blackgaze, the genre was initially panned by fans of traditional black metal and heavy metal. However with the success ofSunbather, this criticism was soon overshadowed and has since been considered as a definitive release for the genre. The album's success also gave the band much more widespread appeal, playing in several mainstream festivals where the band is usually the only metal-oriented act.[79][80][81][82][83]
Current members
Current touring musicians
Former members
Former session musicians
Former touring musicians
Timeline
Studio albums
we don't call ourselves a black metal band, because we're not
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| Related articles | |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
