“When you come to me, I see you wanting heat.”
Deafheaven needs little introduction. Since their sophomore album Sunbather, the band took the blackgaze mantle from bands like Alcest and became the poster child. However, to some listeners, some of the sheen wore off in 2021 with Infinite Granite. To further the Alcest comparison, this was their Shelter, moving from the black metal basis of their work towards a post-rock infused shoegaze album, featuring almost entirely clean vocals from George Clarke. Of course, there are ample defenders of both albums (including myself), but the departure turned some fans away. The tension between the black and the gaze makes up the basis of intrigue for these folks.
Fortunately for them, Lonely People With Power falls much closer to Deafheaven‘s signature work. For starters, the clean/unclean dichotomy seems roughly equivalent to Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. That is to say the clean portion is not dropped, but appears on a fraction of tracks here. Even so, this time the album structure defies their typical convention.
Including the album intro, the three-track “Incidental” series serves as interludes. Not throwaways by any means, the opener in particular strikes an ominous atmosphere of unease with uncanny valley vocal effects. Essentially announcing the shift within the starting seconds, it gives way to the first full track in “Doberman”. It tears the question of “what kind of Deafheaven album could this be” to shreds. Across the first minutes, it grows increasingly into blistering and pummeling before settling into a sparser bridge section. Providing an initial lens into the album at large, it checks all the boxes.
Warm winds blow.
Secrets we die with,
Trembling weakness is what haunts us now.
Inside the windows,
What once made us proud.
First single and “we’re back” statement “Magnolia” follows with the shortest of the proper songs. As such, the tempo is raised and the beats are blasting, with flying riffs and quick shouts. It’s much more ‘black’ than ‘gaze’, especially at the start, almost jarringly so. Acting as equal parts showcase and actual passage within the album, it does lack some of the flesh and meat as “Doberman” and gets somewhat overshadowed as a result.
Feeling he owes his,
Sense of self to lusting,
Days without roses.
“Heathen” on the other hand stands largely alone. One of the few instances with clean vocals throughout Lonely People With Power, it makes them count. Following the brighter tones floating underneath within “The Garden Route”, it completes the transition from “Magnolia” without feeling out of place. Starting with vocal effects reminiscent of “Incidental I”, Clarke sounds downright ethereal during the first verse. If Infinite Granite sounded more like this track, it would likely have far fewer detractors. The whispers on the second verse juxtapose the unclean “what is numbness” chorus, making a strong synthesis of their styles.
By the halfway point of the album, Deafheaven have shown most of the contents in their bag of tricks. From here onward, the emphasis lies on further development of the same themes and sounds. Fortunately, these are pulled off deftly, such as the dynamics within the next song “Amethyst”. Again starting with soft whispers and clean guitar leads before slipping into heavy black metal passages, it may not be novel at this stage but it is quite effective.
Of particular note, the two remaining “Incidental” sequences mark the greatest departures from this sound. “Incidental II”, featuring Jae Matthews of Boy Harsher, proves the most interesting. This heavily industrial interlude sits upon a backdrop of machine-like synths with Chelsea Wolfe-esque delivery. Matthews sings quietly but commandingly before the track breaks down entirely with about a minute remaining. She drops one final plea: “desperate to be alone,” before we segue into the downright ferocious “Revelator”.
“Incidental III”, surrounded by more signature Deafheaven tracks, features Paul Banks of Interpol. This time, they create less of a stand-alone spectacle. It seems to tell the story of the cover art, acting more as a reading of a poem. While interesting, it comes off primarily as an intro to “Winona”, which has the most gaze sound here.
Closer “The Marvelous Orange Tree” marks the other major appearance of Clarke‘s cleans. They sound incredible here, airier and with catharsis before twisting back into the trademark growls. This track shows off some of the prettiest sounds on the album overall, between bright guitar leads and layered vocals to build a towering crescendo. Similar in impact to “Mombasa”, it closes the album on a distinct high note.
Overall, many will likely call Lonely People With Power a return to form. That of course depends on your perception of Infinite Granite, a comparison from which this album cannot escape. However, the more apt parallel may be New Bermuda, which previously was their black metal peak. These still excellent albums in their own regard sit just one shelf below Sunbather and Ordinary Corrupt Human Love.
8/10
Deafheaven‘s Lonely People With Power comes out this Friday, March 28th on Roadrunner Records with pre-orders here.