The unceasingly-divisive Deafheaven have done the most divisive thing a band can do: they’ve changed their sound.
Specifically, on their forthcoming album Infinite Granite, they’ve ditched most of the screaming and generally-metal elements of their music in favor of elements sure to appeal to what Vince wittily dubbed “the Pitchfork / Stereogum demographic.”
Personally, I, Dude Who Defended Suicide Silence’s Suicide Silence, am enjoying the new Deafheaven. In fact, I think “In Blur,” the melancholic new single from Infinite Granite, is the strongest track we’ve heard from the record thus far. In the video, singer George Clarke sometimes seems to be doing his best imitation of Stephen Lang’s “Party Crasher” killer from The Hard Way. But the song doesn’t really feel angry; like I said, it’s quite sad and beautiful, really.
Also, the lyrics for the extremely catchy chorus serve as an excellent example of the ways in which black metal and emo are really, like, three steps apart at most. Seriously, without any context, these could be Cradle of Filth lyrics or Dashboard Confessional lyrics:
What does daylight look like in this chaos of cold?
What does daylight look like?
Solitude and falling into respites now
Check out “In Blur” below.
Infinite Granite comes out August 20 on Sergeant House. Listen to the previous singles, “Great Mass of Color” and “The Gnashing,” and pre-order/pre-save the album here.
Upcoming Deafheaven tour dates:
10/15/21 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre [tickets]
10/16/21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Theatre at the Ace Hotel [tickets]
2/22/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Pressroom [tickets]
2/23/22 – Sante Fe, NM – Meow Wolf [tickets]
2/25/22 – Fort Worth, TX – Tulips [tickets]
2/26/22 – Austin, TX – Mohawk [tickets]
2/27/22 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall [tickets]
3/01/22 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum [tickets]
3/02/22 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade[tickets]
3/03/22 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle [tickets]
3/04/22 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry [tickets]
3/05/22 – Washington, DC – Black Cat[tickets]
3/06/22 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer [tickets]
3/08/22 – Brooklyn, NY – Warsaw [tickets]
3/09/22 – Boston, MA – Royale [tickets]
3/10/22 – Montréal, QC – Théâtre Fairmount [tickets]
3/11/22 – Toronto, ON – Opera House [tickets]
3/12/22 – Detroit, MI – El Club [tickets]
3/14/22 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall [tickets]
3/15/22 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line [tickets]
3/16/22 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theater [tickets]
3/18/22 – Denver, CO – Summit [tickets]
3/19/22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge [tickets]
3/21/22 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater [tickets]
3/22/22- Seattle, WA – The Crocodile [tickets]
3/23/22 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom [tickets]
3/24/22 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Fest [tickets]