Review Summary: Lay a towel down and bask in the sun’s ferocious embrace.
As listeners of largely new music there’s safety in walking the roads already mapped out by others. Finding yourself hurtling down a rabbit-hole of new music is a risky experience, but it’s also exciting. Imagine stumbling on a band or an album and seeing their defining period - that one moment that propels an act or piece of music to what would normally be unfathomable standards… It's a daunting prospect that’s achieved on a number of levels made all more special because you, the listener, was there to embrace it. By this logic, Deafheaven aren’t what you would call “entry-level”, nor does
Sunbather fit into a context of the previously unknown. It’s been seven (several?) years since Deafheaven released
Sunbather and as much as I’d choose not to live in the past; the pull of [what’s possibly] metal’s most prolific and pink [both] album has become rather undeniable of late - for
Sunbather is ultimately...innovative. So walking down this path that’s been diligently travelled by listeners ultimately is more rewarding than the unknown depth found in music’s ever-expanding need to add droplets to an ocean. Why would we gravitate towards music that’s already critically acclaimed? Well, because it’s something we can share together.
By now,
Sunbather has become the path well travelled. Legions of fans flock to its brilliance, guided by others who also seek a share of the light. The bones of imitators and copy-cats lay littered on the path’s edges. So uncork some wine and let us discuss false trvths, wrapped in an under-bloated escapade of what is and will always be elite through the most unwelcome and vaguest of hyperboles.
From the first few billowing notes of “Dream House”,
Sunbather opens into a positive undercurrent of primal immediacy, stemmed [mostly] from the band’s roots within black metal. The statement found in Deafheaven’s music is cast from what was, into what could be. Largely,
Sunbather is awash with equal parts of apocalyptic black metal furor as it is optimistic shoegaze. The title track takes this tilt and accelerates it; making the most of each pointed aesthetic. The screams pierce through clouds of harmonic underlying melodies like a molten liquid state of metal on top of a pillow. The metal sinks quickly, spewing irregular fumes and acrid smells - as fire licks its edges. Uncertain shapes emerge from the smoke… before what was once separate cools into a solid state; whole once again. The back half of the titular track is especially majestic; the space between sections allows for breathing room as a wall of black metal aesthetic sweeps through the hopeful atmospherics in fits of cacophonic rage only to reside once more as tranquil notes eat away at the aspirations to be anything less than perfect. Except that
Sunbather is in fact; perfectly imperfect.
The cleaner tones that introduce the listener to the [pleasantly and] aptly named, “Irresistible” allow such a marriage of contrasting ideals. Wistful piano notes build on the abrasive edges of “Dream House” as if that house may have burnt to the ground. Rather than looking at what was with despair, the smooth graces of “Irresistible” offers plenty of positivity and reflection - as well as room to grow in the face of adversity. Deafheaven lay out their past and highlight the changes to come. There’s no remorse or hesitation, only an urge to move forward, to evolve, to reach potential - whatever that may be. Then comes the slow pull of “Please Remember” which draws in the listener, cutting at the edges of what it means to “be Deafheaven”. There’s no script here, or pre-determined blueprint to which the band needs to follow to be successful. There’s only noise, composition, atmosphere and placation of contrasts melded into an entity that both stands as is, and together.
As much as
Sunbather bridges the gaps between gazey melancholy and walls of icy black metal, there’s a pacing here that lifts the group’s 2013 release past the normal conventions of what is exceptional music. “Vertigo” is but one dizzying reminder that two opposites can find bearing and traction within a polarised scene. As the track progresses the intensity increases, it’s uncomfortable at first, the naturality of the track’s clime doesn’t fit the standard for the black metal style that blasts and riffs its way around piercing shrieks - but the underlying atmosphere that gazes past the musical tempest guides the way. By the time the track quietens, the listener is invested in the absence of turmoil. It’s then (and only then) that both sides of the same coin come together in full fruition of the build before it. Deafheaven brings all their elements together in a triumphant, yet devastating mix.
To this extent, each track builds on an identity that is unique, but part of a whole entity - whether it be the forlorn wistfulness steeped in the group’s past or the promise of light, of something “more” found in compositions such as the closing, “The Pecan Tree” which capitulates on the lush atmosphere the album has been building before its close. Deafheaven continue their statement well after the ringing of “The Pecan Tree’s” last notes. Deafheaven’s 2013 identity may not conform to what listeners may have expected; and as such will still invoke issues around what it means to be true, to be elite or even measure in terms of quality. Despite this, the band’s ability to meld their elements into worlds of innovation allow them to stand stronger than the hype that follows. Soak it in and let the rays burn you as they will. The reshaping comes; whether it be the slow tan of multiple days or the quick fed pale skin which reddens and blisters.
Sunbather is a statement piece moving forward before its time while defining Deafheaven in the years that follow.
Pink art lays etched into the mind forever.
