DEAFHEAVEN

FADER: Track premiere of Deafheaven "Sunbather"

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:57:00 -0700

Stream: Deafheaven, “Sunbather”

BORIS & DEAFHEAVEN
May 22 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop w/ Boris - SOLD OUT
May 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/ Boris & Marriages
May 24, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/ Boris & Ides of Gemini

DEAFHEAVEN & MARRIAGES
Jun 19, 2013 - Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
Jun 21, 2013 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Jun 22, 2013 - Austin, TX @ Red 7
Jun 23, 2013 - Houston, TX @ Mango’s
Jun 25, 2013 - Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
Jun 26, 2013 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Jun 26, 2013 - North Birmingham, AL @ The Forge
Jun 27, 2013 - Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone Club
Jun 29, 2013 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade
Jun 30, 2013 - Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
Jul 1, 2013 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary
Jul 2, 2013 - Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus Bar
Jul 3, 2013 - Cambridge, MA @ T.T. The Bear’s Place
Jul 5, 2013 - Cleveland Heights, OH@ Grog Shop
Jul 6, 2013 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
Jul 7, 2013 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick Lounge
Jul 8, 2013 - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
Jul 9, 2013 - Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theater
Jul 10, 2013 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Jul 11, 2013 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Jul 13, 2013 - Portland, OR @ Bunker Bar
Jul 15, 2013 - San Francisco, CA @ The Bottom of the Hill

Deafheaven and Boris together for Three shows starting May 22nd

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:57:33 -0700

Decibel gives Sunbather a 9 out of 10 Review

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:56:00 -0700

Deafheaven’s new album Sunbather is reviewed in the July issue of Decibel Magazine and the picture they used is unreal.

Deafheaven full live set from Moscow Russia on May 13, 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:36:06 -0700

Deafheaven - Full Live set shot at Plan B in Moscow, Russia on May 13, 2013

Deafheaven announces full US Tour with Marriages on all shows

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:57:44 -0700

Deafheaven will be headlining the first US Tour in support of their new album Sunbather which will see its release via Deathwish on June 11th. As support on all dates will be Marriages the band from Red Sparowes members Emma Ruth Rundle and Greg Burns and on drums special guest Chris Common from These Arms Are Snakes will be playing with them for this tour.

On May 18th Deafheaven will be guest DJ’ing and hosting a Listening Party for the album in their hometown of San Francisco before playing three shows with Boris.

SEE ALL SHOW DETAILS HERE AND BELOW

Below is Deafheaven in the Studio Video on the Making of Sunbather

May 18 - San Fransisco, CA @ Showdown (Album Listening Party)

BORIS & DEAFHEAVEN
May 22 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop w/ Boris
May 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/ Boris & Marriages
May 24, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex w/ Boris & Ides of Gemini

DEAFHEAVEN & MARRIAGES
Jun 19, 2013 - Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
Jun 21, 2013 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Jun 22, 2013 - Austin, TX @ Red 7
Jun 23, 2013 - Houston, TX @ Mango’s
Jun 25, 2013 - Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub
Jun 26, 2013 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Jun 26, 2013 - North Birmingham, AL @ The Forge
Jun 27, 2013 - Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone Club
Jun 29, 2013 - Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade
Jun 30, 2013 - Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
Jul 1, 2013 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary
Jul 2, 2013 - Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus Bar
Jul 3, 2013 - Cambridge, MA @ T.T. The Bear’s Place
Jul 5, 2013 - Cleveland Heights, OH@ Grog Shop
Jul 6, 2013 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
Jul 7, 2013 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick Lounge
Jul 8, 2013 - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
Jul 9, 2013 - Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theater
Jul 10, 2013 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Jul 11, 2013 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Jul 13, 2013 - Portland, OR @ Bunker Bar
Jul 15, 2013 - San Francisco, CA @ The Bottom of the Hill

Pitchfork names "Dream House" best new track

Sun, 12 May 2013 11:12:00 -0700

THE SKINNY: Live show review Deafheaven at Ivory Blacks - May 7, 2013

Sat, 11 May 2013 11:13:00 -0700

Deafheaven immediately induce a blissful collective trance with an emotionally stirring blend of black metal, shoegaze and atmospheric rock. Vocalist George Clarke is a true showman; he writhes around, microphone stand in hand during Dream House, the opener to their upcoming LP Sunbather,spewing wretched bile to balance out the glittery sonics. Freshly enlisted drummer Daniel Tracy’s intricate playing style on the new material trumps the straight-up blast beat attack of old, but Violet and Unrequited aren’t any less thrilling for it. A gloriously cacophonous cover of Mogwai’s Punk Rock / Cody is performed as an encore; a fitting closer to a set built on equal parts beauty to intensity.
by Ross Watson - See full Review of show here.

Deafheaven Live Show Review: Glasgow at Ivory Blacks - May 7, 2013

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:11:00 -0700

Deafheaven prove to be nothing short of magical. Their blend of post-rock, shoe-gaze and black metal surprisingly translates perfectly live/ The band’s visceral and deeply personal performance is nothing short of wonderful. There’s a sense of artistry to the band that also doesn’t seem forced, mainly because of that tremendous and genuine passion with which they deliver their set. The moments of black metal intensity are as devastating as the more melodic post-rock elements are beautiful. Perhaps the most surprising thing about Deafheaven is how euphoric and uplifting much of the material is, not emotions or vibes normally associated with either black metal or post-rock as a rule. As such I see it as simply more proof as to how much Deafheaven have grown since the release of ‘Roads to Judah’ and how much the band have begun to develop an identity of their own that sets them apart from their peers in the post-black metal scene. If anyone saw this band tonight and isn’t at least considering checking out ‘Sunbather’ when it drops then they must have been deaf as opposed to deafened by such an excellent band.

If you were to ask The Windswept Edge what we thought of this show we’d tell you:

An excellent evening with some of the most exciting bands heavy music has to offer as well as great insight into how different artists with extreme influences can be. If you miss any of these bands next time they’re in town you’re cheating yourself.

C.McMillan

Terrorizer Magazine Live Review: Deafheaven - May 8, 2013

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:41:40 -0700

As last minute shows go, this one certainly has a pretty impressive turnout, set up after the cancellation of the Leeds show a mere two weeks ago. Despite the ice cold black metal influence running through tonight’s show, The Star & Garter is sweltering from the get go…

When it comes to headliners Deafheaven, there’s a different mood entirely. The quintet, lead by vocalist George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy, take to the stage in relative quiet before Kerry brings the atmospheric black metallers set to a captivating start. Deafheaven’s ambient post-rock riffs bring with them the feeling that all is well within the world, and have an almost peaceful quality to them but with the introduction of George’s shrill vocals it instantly changes from a feeling of contentment to the feeling that the world could collapse within itself at any moment.

The five piece effortlessly blend the two halves of their sound, the ebb and flow resulting in plenty of spine tingling moments as well as harsh, raw brutality. In the same way that bands like Mayhem have redefined their sound over the years and the likes of Anaal Nathrakh have changed the perceptions of black metals creation, Deafheaven have certainly been reinterpreting the genre for their own ends in their native San Francisco and, as final track ’Sunbather’ shows, Deafheaven are more than ready to take this to the next level.

Words & Photo: John Consterdine - SEE Full Show Review

NPR All Songs Considered premieres "Dream House"

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:21:00 -0700

Deafheaven European Tour is Underway - May 8th Show moved to Manchester

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:05:00 -0700

Deafheaven’s tour with The Secret continues. Please note the show on May 8th has moved from LEEDS to Manchester.

ALL SHOW DETAILS AND UPDATES HERE

DEAHFEAVEN / THE SECRET - 2013
Apr 26, 2013 - Slovenia Nova Gorica @ Mostovna
Apr 27, 2013 - Budapest, Hungary @ Durer Kert
Apr 29, 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ Magnet
Apr 30, 2013 - Lyngby, Denmark @ Templet
May 01,2013 - Oslo, Norway @ Revolver
May 02, 2013 - Stockholm, Sweden @ IOGT-huset i Skarpnäck
May 03, 2013 - Rostock, Germany @ Alte Zuckerfabrik
May 04, 2013 - Arnhem, Holland @ Willemeen
May 06, 2013 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Basement
May 07, 2013 - Glasgow, UK@ Ivory Blacks
May 08, 2013 - Manchester, UK @ Star & Garter
May 09, 2013 - London, UK @ Borderline
May 10, 2013 - Köln, Germany @ MTC

DEAFHEAVEN ONLY
May 13, 2013 - Moscow, Russia @ Plan B
May 14, 2013 - St. Petersburg, Russia @ Arktika

BORIS & DEAFHEAVEN
May 22, 2013 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
May 23, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex w/ Marriages
May 24, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex w/ Ides of Gemini

SPIN: Deafheaven Video from Recording Sunbather

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:13:00 -0700

San Francisco black metal skygazers Deafheaven are set to release of the most anticipated heavy records of 2013 — the blarey, bleary-eyed, blasty Sunbather. Scheduled for release on Deathwish Inc. on June 11, their second album melts black metal’s icy veneer, giving it the majesty of bands like Jesu and Mogwai — a seven-song suite that splits its time between warm piano pulses, spiraling post-rock guitars, sheer jet-engine noise, and sunstroked blasts. This nearly eight-minute teaser works as a little documentary that peeks into the making of this cinematic opus: the stress, the screams, and a few awesome shots of new drummer Daniel Tracy playing blastbeats in black and white. - by Christopher R. Weingarten

Video Directed by Bryan Proteau

Deafheaven reveal cover art and track list for Sunbather out on June 11, 2013

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:05:00 -0700

Deafheaven have revealed the cover art and track list for their new album ‘Sunbather’ which will be released June 11, 2013 via Deathwish, ‘Sunbather’ is the second full length effort from the San Francisco outfit and was recorded and engineered by Jack Shirley and the cover art was designed by Nick Steinhardt (Touché Amoré).

SUNBATHER Tracklisting
1. Dream House
2. Irresistible
3. Sunbather
4. Please Remember
5. Vertigo
6. Windows
7. The Pecan Tree

Deafheaven will be headlining in Europe & Russia a tour starting April 18th with The Secret (Southern Lord) as support on the shows. Upon their return in May they will play three shows with Boris. Stay tuned for details to come about their full US Summer tour.

SEE ALL SHOW DETAILS HERE and below.

DEAHFEAVEN / THE SECRET - 2013
Apr 18, 2013 - Karlsruhe, Germany @ Stadtmitte
Apr 19, 2013 - Durbuy, Belgium @ Durbuy Rock Fest
Apr 20, 2013 - Rouen, France @ 106
Apr 21, 2013 - Paris, France @ Le Fleche D’or
Apr 22, 2013 - Delemont, Switzerland @ SAS
Apr 23, 2013 - Munich, Germany @ Feierwerk
Apr 24, 2013 - Bologna, Italy @ Freakout
Apr 25, 2013 - Milan, Italy @ Lo Fi Club
Apr 26, 2013 - Slovenia Nova Gorica @ Mostovna
Apr 27, 2013 - Budapest, Hungary @ Durer Kert
Apr 29, 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ Magnet
Apr 30, 2013 - Lyngby, Denmark @ Templet
May 01,2013 - Oslo, Norway @ Revolver
May 02, 2013 - Stockholm, Sweden @ IOGT-huset i Skarpnäck
May 03, 2013 - Rostock, Germany @ Alte Zuckerfabrik
May 04, 2013 - Arnhem, Holland @ Willemeen
May 06, 2013 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Basement
May 07, 2013 - Glasgow, UK@ Ivory Blacks
May 08, 2013 - Leeds, UK @ The Library
May 09, 2013 - London, UK @ Borderline
May 10, 2013 - Köln, Germany @ MTC

National Underground: Interview with Deafheaven about upcoming album Sunbather

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:11:00 -0700

San Francisco’s Deafheaven has been fairly described as a black metal, shoegaze, or post-hardcore band, but it’s difficult to reduce it to a single genre. The band’s debut full-length Roads to Judah was released to much acclaim among the communities attached to these various alternative subgenres. The record was sprawling with atmosphere, with elaborate instrumental arrangements and brooding lyrics brimming with dark imagery. The writing on Sunbather, Deafheaven’s followup to Roads to Judah, is the work of two songwriters — three fewer than on the previous full-length, but with no less ambition. In fact, the record will be 22 minutes and three tracks longer than its predecessor, with multiple instrumental interludes intersecting with stories of class disparity, romantic detachment, and family. I discussed the songwriting process and the content of Sunbather with vocalist George Clarke after the band played a one-off show in Brooklyn.

You told me there will be seven tracks on Sunbather, including three interludes. Can you talk about the lengths of the songs, the sequencing of them, and the nature of the interludes?

GEORGE: For this album, we knew the songs would be lengthier simply because that’s how they were coming out. A lot of pieces had to be put together to finish the entire idea of what the songs should sound like. The interludes interject between full tracks and guide the album along, in a way. That’s not to say the interludes don’t stand well on their own, but they are purposeful in accenting the full songs.

Is there a conceptual thread tying together all of the lyrics for Sunbather? What are some of the themes you’re exploring?

GEORGE: There are themes throughout each of our releases, but no specific concept. The “Sunbather” is essentially the idea of perfection. 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.

You’ve said that, in addition to the record’s harsh, dark vibes, there will be some lush, rock and pop-driven aspects to Sunbather. Are there any particular artists who have influenced or inspired you in this regard?

GEORGE: We’ve been all over the place with our music tastes in the past couple years. There is definitely the constant My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Mono influence on this record, but aside from that, I’d say Emperor, Prurient, Russian Circles, as well as newer bands like Merchandise and Weekend. Even bands like Third Eye Blind, Bush, Goo Goo Dolls, and Cranberries had a role to play in making this record.

How did you approach covering “Punk Rock” and “Cody” by Mogwai? Was it always your intention to create a unique representation of the song that wasn’t merely a note-for-note reproduction of the original?

GEORGE: We sought to create something that held onto the sorrow of those original tracks while re-imagining it in our own voice.

You previously recorded with Jack Shirley for Roads to Judah as well as for the Bosse-de-Nage split. At what point in the writing process for Sunbather did you decide that you’d like to work with him again?

GEORGE: Initially, we had a list of people we were wanting to work with and had talked to a few about doing the record, but after we did the Mogwai cover with Jack, it just made sense that to produce the best album, we needed to be somewhere that was comfortable and trusted. Not to mention, he is very talented.

As there are only two members in Deafheaven contributing to the creative process on Sunbather, what are your thoughts on the challenges in having to assume greater songwriting responsibilities? Would you say that there’s more cohesiveness between the two of you than there would be with additional members?

GEORGE: Truthfully, we wanted to work with other people, but with various conflicts, there was a point in the writing process where we just said,”Fuck it, let’s just do it ourselves. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.” Of course, this was a pretty massive challenge. Musically, Deafheaven rests mainly on Kerry [McCoy]‘s shoulders, and when there is pressure to outdo your last record while having no one from the last record with you, it can be daunting. He handled it well, though, and we pushed through the struggles of tying everything together. As far as him and I’s relationship, there is definitely a high level of cohesiveness. If there wasn’t, we couldn’t have lasted this long.

Can you describe your typical songwriting process? Did it change in any way from that of Roads to Judah?

GEORGE: Only in that it was just us two writing the entire record. Because of this, Kerry sat down by himself, writing multiple guitar layers using a loop machine. Once most of the songs were constructed, we sat down with Dan [Tracy] and he added his own drum style to already-constructed song skeletons.

Nick Steinhardt of Touché Amoré designed the cover art for Sunbather. How did you guys end up working together? Did you approach him with a specific thematic vision of the record’s art, or did you leave most of it up to his interpretation?

GEORGE: We’ve been friends with Nick for a few years and have worked together on design projects previous to this one. He did the album layout for Roads to Judah as well as a few merchandise designs. I like to think that him and I have a very similar aesthetic vision. I came to him with a lot of different ideas and we eventually agreed on one. He’s very skilled in making something that’s interesting and yet retains a classic feel. This album cover is the best piece of imagery we’ve ever used.

All of your songs are fairly complex structurally. When you start writing, do you envision a sketch or outline of how you’d like a song to progress, or does it continually evolve on more of a part-by-part basis?

GEORGE: Kerry is better fit to describe this process, but I think he starts out with one or two riffs that eventually grow into a piece incorporating multiple elements that then morphs into a full vision of how the song will flow. As a songwriter, I think his best attribute is his ability to flow with key changes and recognize similar patterns in different styles of music. Because of this, he’s able to write long songs that don’t lose a listener’s interest.

At this point, how much is left in the process of completing Sunbather? Does Deathwish have any special vinyl releases planned?

GEORGE: Just finishing the mixing and mastering and from there, the promotional part begins. We haven’t discussed specifics with Deathwish when it comes to the release, but I am very happy with the album layout, and it will be released on a double LP.

Thank you to George for making the time to reply to my emails. Deafheaven will embark upon a European tour near the end of April, with the release of Sunbather, on Deathwish Inc., tentatively scheduled for release sometime in May. In the meantime, look into Roads to Judah or the band’s split EP with Bosse-de-Nage, or download “Violet” on Deathwish’s newly released label sampler.

Steel For Brains Cerebros - George Clarke Dissects Deafheaven’s Sunbather

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:36:00 -0800

CEREBROS will be a running feature on Steel for Brains allowing for musicians and writers to further expound on their own creative processes in a more narrative and introspective way. I’m deeply honored to say that the first guest writer in this series is Deafheaven vocalist, George Clarke. Here, George expounds upon his own consciousness in creating the songs. Sunbather will be released late spring on Deathwish, Inc.

“The writing process for me is always a strange one. I write in very sporadic bursts, am unable to write while we are on the road, am unable to when feeling positive, and am unable to when not in isolation. Often times, I’ll be drinking by myself and fall into some nostalgic depression that morphs into self analyzation and over thinking. Because of this, no song is about one thing and the lyrics are often written in multiple time periods, then pieced together thereafter to form an overall theme. It’s strange that I’m writing this because I usually don’t explain any of these things, but I’m happy to have the opportunity.

With that being said, the lyrics for Sunbather started in 2011 and continued up until a few days before our recording.

The opening track ‘Dream House’ was written in Los Angeles and in San Francisco. Over the past few years, I’ve had a sort of romantic detachment from my relationships. Not that they weren’t valued, I’ve just always held onto the idea of my past romances from when I was younger. They were unique and I feel like adult relationships have often lacked the insanity that I always enjoyed about being overly enthralled with someone and emotionally unbalanced. Worse yet, I enjoyed the pain of their ending. In my adult life, I’ve been jaded toward relationships and continuously force myself to not be content with anyone because it lacks those characteristics of relationships prior. So, instead of adjusting reasonably, my personality instead offers very little to others. In not responding correctly to adult emotion, I become an emotional hermit, unable to tell if it’s them I’m protecting or myself. I want to give myself, but have uncertainty in doing so.

The song deals with me lying on a friend’s living room floor contemplating these thoughts. The idea of “slipping on gloves to lay tenderly” or placing something in between me and another person I’m laying with in order to protect us both. I realized in this contemplation that instead of handling the defects of my personality, my answer is often escapism. The idea of this reminded me of a conversation I had with a girl one night that she had initiated while being too drunk:

“I’m dying.”

- “Is it blissful?”

“It’s like a dream.”

- “I want to dream.”

The idea for the third song ‘Sunbather’ comes from an experience I had one morning while driving around. At this point, I had left San Francisco and moved to San Luis Obispo to live with my mother. Life had become very chaotic and I felt like moving somewhere quieter and going to school was the change that I needed. Each morning, I would borrow her car and drive to school. However, on occasion, I would skip class and drive around through the wealthier parts of town to look at three story mansions that rested on spacious pieces of property throughout the hills. I’ve always enjoyed doing this. I have always had an obsession with wealth. Anger for it, yet longing for it. It is a theme that is presented throughout the record.

While doing this, I saw a girl lying on her front lawn behind a gate and basically, I parked across the street to watch her. There was nothing sexual or deviant about it. I admired her life. How easy and relaxing it looked. How she probably had everything in order in the most careless way. I sat there and wrote half of what’s presented in the song.

The other half of the song is a juxtaposition of that day that was written following a one night stand in a really dingy apartment somewhere in California. I looked around at empty bottles of alcohol and drugs on a bedside table and became terribly depressed. I rolled over, texted out the entire passage on my phone, and fell asleep thinking about the girl on the lawn. How that life seemed so unattainable, but that I still dreamed for it. And that dream gave me hope. “It’s 5 AM…and my heart flourishes at each passing moment. Always and forever.”

To get a full idea of how I’ve lived for the past couple years, you would need to see my apartment. Our guitar player, Kerry, and I live in a living room together in a house that is occupied with three other people. He sleeps on a thin futon mattress with a sleeping bag for a blanket and a sheet that’s tacked up to form a tent in front of his bed. I sleep on a broken couch next to him. To afford our lifestyle of constant touring at the level we’re at, you more or less have to live this way in what is one of the most expensive cities in the US. Our house literally lacks almost every comfort.

Now, I’m not complaining about this. I am fully capable of controlling my life and know that if I really wanted to, I could move somewhere better, quit touring, work full time, and be more comfortable. I do, however, recognize how low class we are. Because of this, the theme of longing for wealth once again comes into play. Often times, when I’m walking down the street, I like looking into people’s windows. I don’t like looking at the people necessarily, but at their decorations. Large book shelves, paintings on the walls, flat screen TVs. I haven’t owned any of these things in years. When I walk home from work at night, I often do with a bottle of wine and take the long routes so that I can admire the nicer neighborhoods.

For the fifth track, ‘Vertigo’, I originally had named it ‘Windows’ because that’s what it was. Looking into high windows and admiring the lifestyles. Wondering what the people who lived there did for work. Wondering what their interests were, and ultimately, realizing that they had a completely different view of the city than I did. They didn’t deal with the same things I did. In a way, living in San Francisco has always seemed so harsh. But I know it’s harsh because of the decisions I’ve made. Not everyone here lives like I do. Most don’t. That pretty much sums up what the song is about. The self sacrifices you put yourself through to attain what’s most important to you. In my personal case, for now, I guess it’s this band. Truthfully, I don’t know how to feel about that sometimes. “Lost in the patterns of youth where the windows shine brightly back at you.”

The last track on the album is written about my father’s mother. When I was much younger, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and even when my father wasn’t present, always kept in touch with everyone and visited often. In 2009, my uncle, who was always my father’s best friend and whom I was closest to in my extended family, passed away from drug and alcohol reasons. Him, grandparents on both sides, aunts, uncles, cousins, and my father all have histories with substance abuse and diseases related to it. His death was poignant for us all. Some months after, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In the years since, it has become very severe to the point of not remembering my uncle’s death.

The song is partially about that. It’s about wanting her to be at rest. How I wish I could take everything away from her before her life becomes a confused, ghostly reality. I’ve always hoped that those I’m close to lose their lives before they lose their minds. The most guilt ridden part of this, and what this song also partially concerns, is that I have not been back to visit her since my uncle’s funeral. It is fear that prevents me from seeing how cold things have gotten there. Since his death and her perpetual memory loss, that portion of my life feels stagnant and sorrowful. And instead of showing love, I’ve shut myself out.

Ultimately, it’s a testament to selfishness. On one side, it is the will for my grandmother to not live on, but it is still a selfish will. On the other, it’s the fear of the entire situation. Again, escapism. Escapism is selfish because I have abandoned others who hurt. I named the song ‘The Pecan Tree’ because that’s the tree that we would all sit under during my trips to Mississippi to visit my grandparents and one that my grandmother cherished greatly.

Without overly deconstructing every line to every song on ‘Sunbather’, those are the subject matters for each new song that contains lyrics. I have always written in a way that I hope provides open interpretation, but essentially, this record and this band are purely personal and I have used both as a vessel for self analyzation and discovery.”

George

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Sannhet’s record release party for their Known Flood in...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:26:00 -0800

Sannhet’s record release party for their Known Flood in Brooklyn, NY on Saturday Night was a whopper. The post-everything instrumental trio roped in SF’s Deafheaven (who have a new record of their own coming) to headline the evening, and snagged sets from sludgy five-piece Cleanteeth (mems Goes Cube, ex-Hull) and industri-noise duo Theologian (mem Batillus) to set the tone. More pictures and video from Saint Vitus on Feb 22nd are here.

-words by Fred Pessaro

Deafheaven - Punk Rock/Cody & Dream House from (((unartig))) on Vimeo.

Deafheaven headlining one off show in NYC then head to Europe & Russia for Spring Tour & New dates added in May with Boris

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 12:15:00 -0800

Deafheaven will fly in for a one off show in New York at Saint Vitus on Feb 22nd. In April / May they will be headlining a Spring European tour with Italy’s The Secret on all shows except the Russian dates. Upon their return they will meet up for a few shows with Boris in May. Their US headline tour is also in the works and will be announced down the road so stay tuned.

ALL SHOW DETAILS AND UPDATES HERE

Feb, 22, 2013 - Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus

DEAHFEAVEN / THE SECRET - 2013
Apr 18, 2013 - Karlsruhe, Germany @ Stadtmitte
Apr 19, 2013 - Durbuy, Belgium @ Durbuy Rock Fest
Apr 20, 2013 - Rouen, France @ 106
Apr 21, 2013 - Paris, France @ Le Fleche D’or
Apr 22, 2013 - Delemont, Switzerland @ SAS
Apr 23, 2013 - Munich, Germany @ Feierwerk
Apr 24, 2013 - Bologna, Italy @ Freakout
Apr 25, 2013 - Milan, Italy @ Lo Fi Club
Apr 26, 2013 - Slovenia Nova Gorica @ Mostovna
Apr 27, 2013 - Budapest, Hungary @ Durer Kert
Apr 29, 2013 - Berlin, Germany @ Magnet
Apr 30, 2013 - Lyngby, Denmark @ Templet
May 01,2013 - Oslo, Norway @ Revolver
May 02, 2013 - Stockholm, Sweden @ IOGT-huset i Skarpnäck
May 03, 2013 - Rostock, Germany @ Alte Zuckerfabrik
May 04, 2013 - Arnhem, Holland @ Willemeen
May 06, 2013 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Basement
May 07, 2013 - Glasgow, UK@ Ivory Blacks
May 08, 2013 - Manchester, UK @ Star & Garter
May 09, 2013 - London, UK @ Borderline
May 10, 2013 - Köln, Germany @ MTC

The Genesis of a "Sunbather" : Deafheaven in the studio diary by George Clarke

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:37:24 -0800

In late 2011, we began the slow process of writing the follow up to our debut LP Roads to Judah in between a lot of touring, plan making, member changes, etc. Though a lot of changes have occurred, it has taken a little over a year to finish up this monstrosity.

Before I go into details of the recording process, there are two major factors to point out in the making of this record. Firstly, for Roads, we wrote the songs as a five piece band. There were different creative inputs and personalities that affected the writing and recording of that album. For this, Kerry and I reverted back to the way in which we handled the first set of Deafheaven songs by writing and recording the entire thing ourselves, outside of drums. For a record that clocks in around 60 minutes long, it is definitely a full reflection of our tastes and a representation of where we’re at as a band, three years after conception.

Secondly, before we agreed to going into the studio, we discussed different options with whom to record with. I’m a fan of a lot of different production styles and inquired to certain engineers, but ultimately, after we discussed how we wanted to approach this record, we agreed that going back to Jack Shirley was our best option. Jack has worked on everything we’ve ever recorded and while he is extremely talented, thoughtful, and easy to work with, my favorite part about working with him is that I’m comfortable enough to not be intimidated. We bounce ideas off each other and he helps us sculpt what it is that we’re trying to create. In fact, for this record, he definitely took on the role of producer much more than our previous efforts, which was awesome. It honestly felt like we accomplished this together and it felt great.

Day one starts with drums and scratch guitar. For this record and all upcoming Deafheaven shows, Daniel Tracy has taken the position. From the beginning, Kerry and I definitely wanted to put more of a focus on percussion. Since Roads, we’ve worked with some really talented drummers and Dan is no different. He stepped up huge on this record. For me, drums have always been a bit of an afterthought which is strange because they certainly shape our sound, but as long as they were fast, I didn’t care much otherwise. That is definitely not the case with this record. There are sections where drums absolutely make the song pop, which is a huge development. We use a fairly simple set up; a four piece DW kit. Snare, kick, one rack tom, one floor tom, hi-hat cymbals, and two ride/crash cymbals. For uptempo sections, we close mic with Shure 57, AKG 414, and Audix D4 microphones. For the bigger, spacier sections, AEA R88 ribbon microphones.

Drums end up taking all of day one and a few hours into day two. Our sessions are always around eight hours long, making this the longest time we’ve ever spent on drums. Day two consists of all distorted guitars. Typically, Kerry tracks four layers, tracking each rhythm twice and giving the same treatment for the leads. For these sessions, Kerry is playing his Les Paul. His pedal board consists of a Memory Man with Hazari into a Delta Labs chorus which connects to a Holy Grail reverb and a Digitech Jam Man. For the rhythm, we used a Top Hat Emplexador through a Marshall cab with Vintage 30s. For the leads, we used an Orange Rockerverb 100 through the same Marshall cab. Kerry also uses a whammy bar, which we utilized a lot for this record to create the ‘glide guitar’ sound, which is essentially using the bar to waver chords in and out of tuning to create a dizzying effect; i.e. My Bloody Valentine.

While he does this, I have the pleasure of hanging out with Tre from Deathwish Inc. who has flown in from Massachusetts.

…

Day three continues with more guitar work and finishes with bass. We’re using a 70’s Fender P-Bass that plays through a 70’s Fender Bassman 100 and Ampeg 8×10 cabinet. Bass concludes in a timely manner and we move onto clean guitars. For these sections, Kerry is using his Les Paul again but also mixing it up with the Gretsch 6117, which we actually end up using the majority of the time. All of these parts are played through a Fender Blues Jr.

We maximized these clean parts by, on occasion, tracking up to four different guitar parts. Recording always becomes fun around this time because the stressful bulk is completed and we’re able to really experiment with different sounds and space, even using an EBow for the first time.

Days four and five focus on the clean sections and interludes more while day six revolves around small additions and vocals. To accent the clean and interlude sections, we played on a gorgeous Kawai Upright Piano and a 60’s Hammond M3 organ that was mic’d with a Vintage Sennheiser 421. The vocals are treated in a fairly standard way. Truthfully, most of the vocal sound just relies on the performance so unfortunately, there isn’t a lot to say here. We used a echo chamber reverb and during mixing, the takes are fed through an analog tape delay.

The record is still not completed. We have mixing and mastering to get through before the finished product is readied. Jack Shirley will be handling both of these duties as well, which I’m confident in. All of our material is tracked to two inch tape at 15ips with an Otari MTR-90 ii. From there, it’s transferred to Pro Tools HD through Lynx Aurora Converters. This is all finished by being mastered with an Ampex ATR-102 tape machine.

There is a lot that goes on during a recording process and meticulous detail is something that has become more and more important to us as time goes on. When we released ‘Roads’, neither Kerry or I had any idea where it would take us. I feel that if we did, we would have taken more time with it. Then again, I’m happy with its sound because it reminds me of where we were then. It feels, as this next record does already, like an exciting time. An enormous bundle of hope from two young, wide-eyed people who have been lucky enough to be placed in this position.

Lastly, I named the record Sunbather because that’s the feeling it gives me. It is the sadness and the frustration and the anger that comes with striving for perfection. Dreaming of warmth and love despite the pain of idealism.

It will be released in late Spring/early Summer through Deathwish Inc. and I can confidently say that this is the best product we could have come out with.

Deafheaven are busy in the studio at The Atomic Garden recording...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:36:40 -0800

Deafheaven are busy in the studio at The Atomic Garden recording with Jack Shirley their next LP entitled “Sunbather” due out sometime this year on Deathwish, Inc.

New Deafheaven Merch Now Available

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

New front and back print hoodies now available online only at the Deafheaven store

New shirt design available now too. Illustration by Jas Helena

only at http://deafheaven.hellomerch.com