In an interview with Deafheaven singer George Clarke, Touche Amore singer Jeremy Bolm recounted the first time that the two bands played a show together (funnily enough it was Joyce Manor’s self-titled record release show). At the time in 2011, Deafheaven had no images of themselves online and were guerilla-style distributing their tapes across the nation, mailing them to labels and sneaking them into the merch bins of bands that would roll through San Francisco (Touche Amore being one). Bolm recounts not knowing whether Deafheaven would be young kids or “burly forty year olds”, it turned out to be the former.

While it is no longer a mystery who is behind Deafheaven with each new record there seems to be a confrontation with identity. From 2013’s unavoidable Sunbather through 2018’s Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, Deafheaven seemed to be on track to reliably expand the new wave black metal every few years. Until 2021’s Infinite Granite flipped those expectations upside down, dispensing with 95% of the blast beats and practically all the screams, opting in favor of conventionally post-punk rhythms and clean singing. The only glimmer of hope for fans that wished for the band to “stay heavy” was in the last 3 minutes of “Mombasa”, Infinite Granite’s final track. The band’s most recent record Lonely People with Power had fans bracing for the next revelation.

With the release of “Magnolia”, the albums lead-single, Deafheaven had seemingly returned to their tried and true sound. Drummer Dan Tracy’s inhuman blast beat ability as well as Clarke’s brutal screams were back on full display. The riffs were heavy and all was seemingly back to normal. “Magnolia” is heavy, sure, but it is also notably an efficient track-length for a band whose most-praised work pushes the 10-minute mark. For all intents and purposes “Magnolia” is a pop song hidden behind gnashing black metal aesthetics.

On Lonely People With Power Deafheaven continues to toy with the question of who “Deafheaven” is. Are they a Blackgaze band trying to recapture their heavy sound, or are they progressing past those expectations? At twelve tracks, this latest addition explores more sonic and conceptual territory in its hour runtime than any other in their catalog. “Heathen” and “The Marvelous Orange Tree” utilize Clarke’s clean vocals to enhance their dynamics. Even Clarke’s poetic lyricism, which often bridges on abstraction, opens up on “Body Behavior”. Clarke steps away from vague couplets to tell a presumably autobiographical story of his gradual loss of innocence.

Lonely People With Power is constructed meticulously, vacillating between familiar and new song constructions. Take the conventional verse-chorus song structures on “Magnolia” and “The Garden Route”; these songs feel familiar in their intensity but are newly reflected in their construction. While there are familiar epic track lengths a la Sunbather, Deafheaven chooses to double down across the record with more “standard” song structures and lengths. As a result the album flows extremely well as Deafheaven modulates their delivery through the sequence. The album’s sequence also benefits from crucial thematic Interludes, each titled “Incidental” I,II, and III respectively, serving as anchoring points for the lyrical narrative which dives deep into Clarke’s shaky upbringing and personal confrontations with masculinity, addiction, and forgiveness.

Every band with some success has to contend with their back catalog at some point. In metal circles deviation usually spells disaster, creating schisms in fanbases as well as renouncements of a band’s bonafides. Deafheaven have wrestled with genre labels and expectations from the beginning. Lonely People With Power may be a return to the intense sounds of Deafheaven’s early catalog but it is not a return to form, it is something more. What is on display on Lonely People With Power is the culmination up until this point that is singular to Deafheaven. Their previous work on Infinite Granite shines in a different light with its core characteristics on full display on Lonely People With Power, nestled into familiar songics. The continuity of Lonely People With Power is tied directly to the band’s most iconic material, evident on “Amethyst” and “Winona”. Lonely People With Power is a clear statement of who Deafheaven have grown to be.

Order Lonely People With Power by Deafheaven HERE