Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power Album Review (AOTM April)

Deafheaven gained something of a cult status with their 2013 album Sunbather, which completely stunned many listeners. It felt truly new, combining the world of shoegaze with black metal vocals and intense blast beat drumming — all presented largely in a hopeful major key. While the band hasn’t received quite the same level of attention since Sunbather, they have steadily released albums that have largely followed the same formula.

In 2021, however, the band took a bold step towards a lighter sound with Infinite Granite, leaving behind the black metal growls in favor of melodic, stunning vocals. The album balanced elements of shoegaze, dreampop, and post-metal. It didn’t seem to be particularly well-received, and perhaps because of that, Lonely People with Power marks a return to a somewhat more brutal approach.

The album is a strong, cohesive work from start to finish, with hardly any weak or dull moments. The songs are emotional and catchy, easily sticking in your mind even though they occasionally unleash full-on sonic assault. The guitar melodies grow into massive, towering waves, and just when you think they’ve reached their peak, they climb even higher.

The record manages to be both tight and brutal, yet also beautiful and sensitive at the same time. Magnolia delivers the heaviest material on the album from beginning to end — a track that could almost have been written by any black metal band, complete with classic heavy metal guitar riffs. Heathen occasionally flirts with the melodic and clean vocal elements of the previous album. It’s a song that encapsulates everything that makes Deafheaven such a remarkable band: stunning melodies, grand emotions, sensitivity, and ferocity.

One of the band’s strengths has always been their ability to combine memorability with unpredictability. At times, especially in the longer tracks, you find yourself completely immersed in one section — only to be pulled back up by a surprising detail or a full-on shift in direction. Incidental II, featuring Jae Matthews from Boy Harsher, offers a refreshing detour amidst the intensity, embracing a more industrial and noisy soundscape. It would be fascinating to hear Deafheaven explore more of this territory in the future.

The way the band’s latest album weaves together various elements from their earlier work makes it perhaps the most cohesive and best overall record in their entire discography.

Release Date: March 28, 2025

Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power

Album of the Month by Cuberat