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
You Without End
Deafheaven Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shifting his attention toward the mirror across the road
Back into his daydream
The spliff burned his fingers the second he drank
And he tossed it toward the gutter
The smoke burned into his eyes, blinding him
As he blinked through the tears
the pain began to recede
As he approached the intersection of Brooklyn and Lakeshore
A flock of geese burst from the darkness
And flew, shrieking into what was left of the daylight
In a dark tunnel
And new dawn approaching
With a sphere of light
Ever glowing
And then the world will know
Will know of you
Of all things love
Of all things true
He looked up to watch them form a ghostly shoggoth
with flashes of white from their exposed chest
Blinking like so many eyes
Crossing the street drenched him in fluorescent light
And he quickened his pace
'til he reached the softer light of the street
Let it go as it grows on forever
And let it go
Let it go as it grows
Breathe it in
Let it go as it grows on forever
And we breathe it in
And we breathe it in
And then the world will grow
And then the world will grow
And then the world will know
Of all true love, true
The opening lines of "You Without End" describe a man who is lost in his own thoughts, smoking a spliff as he contemplates his daydream. However, he is suddenly interrupted by a flock of geese bursting from the darkness and flying into the remaining light of day. This unexpected interruption causes him to become more aware of his surroundings and to consider the beauty of the world around him. The lyrics seem to convey a sense of awe and wonder at the unexpectedness of life and the importance of being present in the moment.
The second verse appears to describe a transition from darkness to light, as if the geese flying through the evening sky have signaled a new dawn. There is a sense of hope and anticipation as the singer looks forward to a time when the world will know "of all true love, true." The lyrics suggest that there is something spiritual or transcendent about this experience, as the singer urges the listener to "breathe it in" and let it grow forever.
Line by Line Meaning
He pained
He felt pain
Shifting his attention toward the mirror across the road
He looked at a mirror across the road
Back into his daydream
He returned to his daydream
The spliff burned his fingers the second he drank
The cigarette burned his fingers when he took a drag
And he tossed it toward the gutter
He threw the cigarette towards the gutter
The smoke burned into his eyes, blinding him
The smoke went into his eyes, making him temporarily blind
As he blinked through the tears, the pain began to recede
After blinking his eyes, the pain started to go away
Back down the promenade and homeward bound
He walked back home down the promenade
As he approached the intersection of Brooklyn and Lakeshore
He neared the intersection of Brooklyn and Lakeshore
A flock of geese burst from the darkness
A flock of geese suddenly appeared from the dark
And flew, shrieking into what was left of the daylight
They flew and made noise into the remaining daylight
In a dark tunnel
Inside a dark tunnel
And new dawn approaching
A new day was starting
With a sphere of light, Ever glowing
There was a ball of light that constantly shined
And then the world will know, Will know of you
Soon, the world will know about you
Of all things love, Of all things true
Specifically, they will learn about true love
He looked up to watch them form a ghostly shoggoth
He raised his head to see them form a ghostly creature
with flashes of white from their exposed chest
The creature had white flashes from their chest
Blinking like so many eyes
The flashes blinked like many eyes
Crossing the street drenched him in fluorescent light
When he crossed the street, he was hit by fluorescent lights
And he quickened his pace 'til he reached the softer light of the street
He sped up until he reached the dimmer light
Let it go as it grows on forever,
Let it go and watch it grow forever
And let it go, Let it go as it grows
Watch it grow and let it go
Breathe it in
Take a deep breath
Let it go as it grows on forever
Let it grow and watch it forever
And we breathe it in
We take a breath in
And then the world will grow, And then the world will grow
The world will expand
And then the world will know, Of all true love, true
And the world will learn about true love
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: George Lesage Clarke, Kerry Dylan McCoy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shoalsofficial9334
I said goodbye to the one who got away a few days ago. I'll never forget her. She changed me forever and I'll always love her most. I can't help it.
@chriskerns9244
It's been a year, bub. how you doing these days?
@metaxuoblivion
two years now
❤️🔥 im happy she changed your life, contacts with eternity in the time order are fearfully ephemeral
@apico
So, I am 61. I come from classic rock roots but pretty much leaving that behind in hopes of discovery of newer and inspiring music. Deafheaven ended up in my online playlist due to Youtube's awesome algorithm...I'm serious! I have music streaming at work and this song made me stop and take notice. This is unlike any other Black Metal I have heard. It shakes off the typical black metal jacket and hybridizes itself into a seamless joining of genres. Brilliant and innovative.
@stevefisher2553
Same here, 56
@muhammadzarif99
thank you for the precise information, i believe most of us feel the same too
@anthonytomlin904
I listened to this song in my mom's hospital room when she was dying, and when my dog was taking her last breaths.
@jnthxn_
i listened to this song and whole album while grieving over my mom dying, i feel your pain man. you couldn’t have picked a better song to listen to.
@anthonytomlin904
@@jnthxn_ sorry for your loss brother
@anthonytomlin904
@@jnthxn_ https://youtu.be/7cp2WhxLky8 this one helped to