Just over a month ago, frontman George Clarke left Deafheaven fans drooling when he posted a photo of a custom-made Sunbather-inspired blanket to his Instagram account. Quite literally, the blanket was a giant, woven cover of Sunbather, and boy was it blissful. Clarke sparked a great deal of anticipation in his caption which read. “Got a new blanket. Thinking about having a few of these made for winter..” Was his utilization of the tell-tale ellipsis indicative of (excellent) things to come? One could only hope.
Now, just in time for winter, it seems our prayers have been answered, or at least the prayers of those who were quick to act. In a collaboration with artist Nick Steinhardt, All Black Recording Company released fifty of these limited edition blankets yesterday, priced at $85.00 USD a pop. You’d think people would be hesitant to blow their hard-earned money on a glorified blanket. Not so. The blankets sold out within about an hour of being announced on the band’s Facebook page.
Late to the party? Not to worry. You won’t find any merch you can cuddle up with, but you can still get your hands on some other really neat custom works by Steinhardt. Swing by All Black Recording Company to see some of the other items up for grabs, including some seriously stunning prints.
This project brings something new to the table in that it eliminates the mass-produced nature of the merch to which we’ve grown accustomed and reimagines it as something that more closely resembles art. While the items are on the more expensive side, consumers can find comfort in knowing that they are not only receiving a limited edition, custom-designed, high-quality item, but that they are supporting an independent artist. Or at least that’s what I’ll tell my mom so she doesn’t rip my head off for splurging on one of these bad boys when me and my fine arts degree still reside in her basement.
-EW