Rockfreaks.net

Deafheaven

Infinite Granite

Written by: AP on 31/01/2022 18:48:55

It was obvious a long time before “Infinite Granite” was released that Deafheaven would be making a seismic shift in their signature sound and style. The first single, “Great Mass of Color”, was nothing if not divisive when it premiered last summer, shedding the band’s blackened skin to reveal their base layer in full exposure. Deafheaven are no strangers to experimenting with their sound and looking for new horizons to conquer though, and as such, while this fifth and latest offering of theirs has without a doubt rubbed some elements of their fanbase the wrong way, it would have felt too predictable and unambitious, had the five musicians decided to simply regurgitate their 2018 album “Ordinary Corrupt Human Love”. Instead, the lighter elements that were introduced to their palette on that record seem to have served as a springboard for their delving into dream pop, indie rock and classic shoegaze here, an endeavour that frontman George Clarke felt was necessary in order for him to continue developing his abilities in tandem with his colleagues.

You can probably guess what that means: Clarke has all but abandoned his shrill, frenetic screams in favour of clean singing (although you will hear some revenants of his past self in both “Villain” and “Mombasa”), guitarists Kerry McCoy & Shiv Mehra spare their wrists by mostly omitting the tremolo riffs that used to sear through their arrangements, and since drummer Daniel Tracy no longer needs to focus all of his energy on keeping up with the duo with salvos of blastbeats, he finally has room to breathe more life into his rhythms. Indeed, the songs that comprise “Infinite Granite” have neither the velocity nor the viciousness of Deafheaven’s past output, yet despite this, the music remains as loud, intense and all-encompassing as ever, not least thanks to producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen, who was brought in to guide the band through the borderland between pop and rock music, as he has done with the likes of M83, Paramore, St. Vincent and Wolf Alice in the past. In essence, “Infinite Granite” is the sound of Deafheaven sans the black metal influence, with both the opener “Shellstar” and track two “In Blur” resurrecting the warm and uplifting tone of 2013’s “Sunbather”, albeit rinsed of distortion and metallic thunder. There are still enough layers in them to fill a space of just about any size, but their dreamlike atmosphere invokes this feeling of submerging oneself in a relaxing bath rather than being trounced by a tsunami of emotion like on the band’s previous offerings.

Another thing the shift away from screams and metallic instrumentals on “Infinite Granite” introduces to Deafheaven’s arsenal is an element of simple catchiness, particularly in the vocal department. The likes of the aforementioned “In Blur” and later on “Lament for Wasps” both feature choruses that are begging to be sung out loud at concerts to come, with those refrains of “What does daylight look like?” in the former, and the interplay between an inspired guitar lead and Clarke’s languid recitals of “Another night spent fussing, feasting like the lords / Laughing at the fronting, singing to the chords of hell imagined” in the latter, delivering a pair of unforgettable moments to add to the heap of such in the group’s repertoire. And there are many more treasures to be unearthed as the minutes tick past: Clarke’s baritone singing and the loud, soaring crescendo heard in the penultimate “Other Language” provide an experience bordering on an ASMR, while the monumental finale of “Mombasa” might just be the most cathartic and invigorating Deafheaven have composed to date, with the added bonus of offering a welcome refuge for those still left wanting for a touch of blackgaze.

In spite of venturing into uncharted territory then, Deafheaven pulls through without flinching, proving once and for all they are far from the one trick pony some skeptics have tried to paint them out to be. If there is one regret left by “Infinite Granite” though, it would be that it somewhat lacks variety, mostly conforming to a pattern of ethereal verses succeeded by escalating choruses, and finally climbing into a towering crescendo in the dying moments of a given song. But with such rich soundscapes, and so many standout parts to relish, this relative monotony never manages to become a major issue, rather coming across as a minor nag, like a tiny stone in one’s shoe that is noticed but hardly worth the effort of another lacing up. So forget about what you wanted Deafheaven to sound like, and immerse yourself in this latest incarnation of a band in constant flux.

Download: In Blur, Lament for Wasps, The Gnashing, Other Language, Mombasa
For the fans of: Les Discrets, LSD and the Search for God, My Bloody Valentine, Nothing, Slowdive
Listen: Facebook

Release date 20.08.2021
Sargent House