Following the release of the 2013 sophomore album Sunbather, California black metal/shoegaze/”blackaze” outfit Deafheaven have locked themselves away in the studio since the end of 2014 (with the exception of playing a few shows and festivals here and there), but yesterday, July 27th, the band uploaded a minute long teaser of the new album, which is (supposedly) titled New Bermuda and will be released in October through Anti- Records. Now, the reason the word “supposedly” is in parentheses when the name of the album was mentioned is because we are not sure if that is the name of the new album, but in the trailer you do see the words “New Bermuda” flash rapidly for a second at the end of the trailer. Whether that is the name of the album or a single they will be releasing is currently unknown, but let’s just wait and see. Head on over the jump for the trailer itself!
You can find the trailer here via Pitchfork.
The video starts out with a calm, cavernous guitar part for about 40 seconds, and then immediately transitions to a clip of one of the new songs, punching you in the face with fast blast beats, and, quite literally, a wall of sound. The good ol’ Deafheaven sound.
Although this is more hopeful wishing than anything, Deathwish Inc. label mates Loma Prieta are releasing their newest LP titled Self Portrait on October 2nd, so maybe (key word being “maybe”) there could be a Deafheaven/Loma Prieta tour this fall to support their new albums. But that remains to be seen. In any case, this album is sure to make waves, seeing as Deafheaven are as much as a cultural phenomena as they are a band nowadays. Which raises an interesting question; will it even be possible to judge this album on its merits alone or is reference to the cultural milieu that Deafheaven operates inevitable? More thoughts on that as the album nears.
(Update: Since this post aired, more details have been published by the bands, including confirmation of the album name. Head on over here for all the juicy details!)
-MV