Deafheaven's second album, Sunbather, was released in 2013 to wide critical acclaim, becoming one of the best reviewed albums of the year in the US. In 2015 the band followed up with New Bermuda and in 2018 with Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. Their 2021 fifth album, Infinite Granite, drastically reduced the presence of screamed vocals.
Deafheaven formed in February 2010 in San Francisco with vocalist George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy, who previously performed in a grindcore band together. Clarke isn’t sure how he arrived on the name Deafheaven, though he is aware of its appearance in William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29. The two words ‘deaf’ and ‘heaven’ were combined as an homage to Slowdive.
Clarke and McCoy recorded their demo in April, 2010 at Atomic Garden Studios which was released both on cassette tape format in limited quantities and digitally. It featured four songs that combined black metal and post-rock. Originally, Deafheaven did not intend to release the material but they later sent it out to a few of their favorite blogs.
After the demo had been positively received, Clarke and McCoy recruited three additional musicians, bassist Derek Prine, guitarists Nick Bassett of the shoegaze bands Whirr and Nothing, and drummer Trevor Deschryver who responded to an ad on Craigslist to form a five-piece group and started playing their first shows on July, 2010.
Their debut full-length Roads to Judah was released by Deathwish Inc. on April 26, 2011. As early as September, 2011 Deafheaven announced they had begun writing new music for a potential split album, EP or full-length. At the time, McCoy described it as being "faster, darker, heavier and far more experimental" than their previous material. However in December, 2012 Clarke described their new material as "less melancholic and less centered around only black metal," but rather featuring a more "lush and rock-driven, even pop-driven sound at times."
Their third album titled Sunbather was written solely by founding members Clarke and McCoy. This was similar to the way the band's first demo was composed, and different from Roads to Judah, which was written as a five-piece band. The duo was also joined in the studio by new drummer Daniel Tracy, who "added his own drum style to already-constructed song skeletons." The title of the album reflects Clarke's idea of perfection. He stated that it's meant to represent "a wealthy, beautiful, perfect existence that is naturally unattainable and the struggles of having to deal with that reality because of your own faults, relationship troubles, family troubles, death, et cetera." Deafheaven entered the studio to record in January 2013 with Jack Shirley, and released the album on June 11, 2013 through Deathwish Inc.
Sunbather was critically acclaimed upon release. Metacritic rated the album 92/100, based on 18 reviews, and later declared it the best-reviewed major album of 2013. It was also Deafheaven's first release to chart on Billboard — it ranked at number 130 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Top Heatseekers chart.
In addition to new drummer Daniel Tracy, who was a part of the band for the recording of Sunbather, the band recruited bassist Stephen Clark and guitarist Shiv Mehra for the 2013-2014 tours. Founding members Clarke and McCoy said previous band members parted ways due to difficulties with life on the road and earning little-to-no money.
In 2014, the band released the track "From the Kettle onto the Coil" as a free download for the cable television network Adult Swim's weekly singles series. Their third album, New Bermuda, was released on October 2, 2015, through the ANTI- record label, to critical acclaim.
The band started working on the follow up to New Bermuda in January 2018, when they announced they were in the studio working on a new album, scheduled for release later in the year. On April 17, 2018, the band released "Honeycomb", the lead single to their fourth studio album Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. On June 12, 2018, a new track from the new album titled "Canary Yellow" was released.The album was released on July 13, 2018 through Anti- Records. It received widespread acclaim from critics.
Their music is described as “a dizzying hybrid of shoegaze shimmer, hardcore punk passion, emo vulnerability, and black metal intensity.” They have cited a wide range of musical influences, including, but not limited to: Morbid Angel, The Smiths, Burzum, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Orchid, Emperor and My Bloody Valentine.
Deafheaven
Current Members
George Clarke – lead vocals (2010–present)
Kerry McCoy – guitar (2010–present), bass (2010, 2012–2013)
Daniel Tracy – drums (2012–present)
Shiv Mehra – guitar, backing vocals, keyboards (2013–present)
Chris Johnson – bass, backing vocals (2017–present)
Former Members
Nick Bassett – guitar (2010–2012)
Derek Prine – bass (2010–2012)
Trevor Deschryver – drums (2010–2011)
Korey Severson – drums (2011–2012)
Stephen Clark – bass (2013–2017
2010 - Demo (Remastered in 2012)
2011 - DW Live Series 08: Live at The Blacktop 01.15.11
2011 - Libertine Dissolves (single)
2011 - Roads to Judah
2012 - Deafheaven / Bosse-de-Nage (with Bosse-de-Nage)
2013 - Sunbather
2014 - From the Kettle onto the Coil
2015 - New Bermuda
2018 - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love
2021 - Infinite Granite
Baby Blue
Deafheaven Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where faults have fallen to some.
I begged not to carry the corpse.
To not be a queer fish in unforgiving hearts.
To not be buried in native clay and preserved for cynicism.
I wish to be a pauper in kind eyes. To feel the gravel beneath my knees.
To wake in a home.
God had sent my calamity into a deep space from which not even in dreams,
The lyrics of "Baby Blue" by Deafheaven are a poetic and introspective exploration of the singer's own desires and fears. The opening lines are particularly evocative, describing the intense emotional turmoil that the singer is experiencing. They wake up "in a sweat from a desirous fever" that seems to be rooted in the past, in "the pocket of yesteryear." The next few lines grapple with the struggle to avoid the pitfalls of life, to not "carry the corpse," or be seen as different ("a queer fish") by those around them.
The singer then expresses a wish to be understood and appreciated by others, to be seen in "kind eyes" and to feel the ground beneath their knees. The final lines of the song are perhaps the most poignant, as the singer reflects on their own mortality and the inevitability of their own end. They speak of their desire to escape the "calamity" that God has sent them, to find a peaceful and secure home. It's a powerful and emotionally charged piece of music that touches on some of the most fundamental aspects of the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke in a sweat from a desirous fever in the pocket of yesteryear
I woke up sweating from a feverish longing for the past.
Where faults have fallen to some.
The past is a place where some people's mistakes are forgotten and forgiven.
I begged not to carry the corpse.
I don't want to carry the weight of my past mistakes with me.
To not be a queer fish in unforgiving hearts.
I don't want to be an outcast in the eyes of those who are unwilling to forgive.
To not be buried in native clay and preserved for cynicism.
I don't want to be stuck in a place where I'm judged and criticized for who I am.
I wish to be a pauper in kind eyes.
I want to be seen as humble and simple, in the eyes of those who are kind.
To feel the gravel beneath my knees.
I want to be grounded and connected to the earth.
To wake in a home.
I want to feel safe and comfortable in my own space.
God had sent my calamity into a deep space from which not even in dreams,
Even in my dreams, I can't imagine escaping the troubles that God has sent my way.
Could I ever imagine my escape
I can't imagine a way out of the problems I'm facing.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: GEORGE LESAGE IV CLARKE, KERRY DYLAN MCCOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sp00ky man
I woke in a sweat from a desirous fever
In the pocket of yesteryear where faults have fallen to some
I begged not to carry the corpse
To not be a queer fish in unforgiving hearts
To not be buried in native clay and preserved for cynicism
I wish to be a pauper in kind eyes
To feel the gravel beneath my knees
To wake in a home
God had sent my calamity into a deep space
From which not even in dreams
Could I ever imagine my escape
Sangye Ince-Johannsen
7:00 to 8:00 may be the single best minute in the history of metal, don't @ me.
biakaba
Sounds like my dreams, it infiltrates my nightmares. Just lost my mom, you guys gave me reason to continue on. \m/...long live art.
jaime hamilton
I lost my mother 9 years ago, when I was 9. It doesn't get easier, but the pain drifts brother. And amen to the long living of art.
Alyssa
biakaba I love how this comment has a rythmic flow!! condolences tho xx
Madeulolli Czar
biakaba People like you who comment, such as the people who listen to this band, give me strength to go on. Thank you. :^)
Megadeth777
jaime hamilton lost mine 9 years ago at 11. At least we’re all here, able to share the same beautiful song together in their honor :)
Scott
The breakdown at 6:00 and the vocal lead up to it is my favorite thing I have ever heard.
Quade Carter
The whole song and album is amazing, but the last half after the solo is incredible. Pretty much one of the best parts of the whole album
Mexican Deicide
@Xenogor Wraithblade when you say likes “us”. What you mean?
Rivet
@Mexican Deicide I was pretty curious about that too but I think he meant metalheads