Currently completing their mega UK Tour which included a triumphant sold-out show at London’s 100 Club on 28th September, today DEADLETTER share new single ‘Weights’ as well as announcing debut EP Heat! out 18th November via SO Recordings.
Sonically, ‘Weights’ is a development from the frenetic energy of earlier singles, leaning into deep bass tonality and a more thoughtful arrangement of instrumentation.
Singer Zac Lawrence says, “Weights’ in parts, is a pessimistic musing on the experiences you take with you through life, which can feel like a physical burden to be dragged without reprieve. But it’s also a track of silver linings, as it aims to cement the idea that it’s fine to accept that you’re not always alright, and that you can ask for help should things get too heavy – and that’s often the only way of lessening the load. It’s informed by sorrow and self-loathing, but also joy and healing.”
Debut EP Heat! is out 18th November via So Recordings (Placebo, Enter Shikari, Band Of Skulls), and it’s the sound of a band starting to find their feet in the studio.
Recorded at Hackney’s Pony Studios with producer Elliot Heinrich, there is a notable evolution from their looser, politically-charged early singles, coming as the group matures both sonically and conceptually. From the ominous rumblings of ‘Weights’ to the grooving basslines of ‘Binge’ (video here), Heat! suggests DEADLETTER are more than just another post-punk band, but maybe have a scope wider than any could have first predicted.
Hailing from Yorkshire, now South London rooted, they channel the droll fury of Gang of Four and the lopsided rhythms of Talking Heads into a strain of vehement post-punk, exploring the darker side of existence through a lens of narrative-driven levity. With members being firm friends from birth, there is an instinctive understanding of movement and danceability to their music worth its weight in gold, whilst never cheapening the nuance and grit of their sound.
Childhood friends Zac Lawrence (vocals), Alfie Husband (Drums) and George Ullyott (Bass) graduated from busking around Yorkshire town centres in their early teens, and moved down into a shared house in South London – prompting the necessity, and allowing them the space develop their own personal antithesis to the grind of daily life.
DEADLETTER Zac Lawrence - Singer George Ullyott - Bassist Alfie Husband - drummer Will King - Guitarist James Bates - guitarist Poppy Richler - Saxophonist
After some lineup experimentation, the addition of Will King (Guitar), James Bates (Guitar) and Poppy Richler (Saxophone) completed the group. Bound together by a recognition of frenetic energy and rhythm and leaving any wider ideological goal open to interpretation by the listener, DEADLETTER have toured relentlessly throughout 2021, fostering a reputation as one of the most exciting bands in the UK in the process. With support slots including dates with Do Nothing, Tropical F**k Storm and Yard Act, they are still clearly not a group to be missed live.
Already they have been championed by The Guardian, So Young, HERO, Loud & Quiet and the 6 piece even took to Paris Fashion Week, attending the CELINE menswear S/S 23 launch and playing live at Hedi Slimane’s personal afterparty alongside NYC’s Gustaf and Cumgirl8.
Tour Dates:
28th September – 100 Club, London SOLD OUT
30th September – Studio 9294 w/ Tropical F*ck Storm SOLD OUT
19th October – Supersonic, Paris
20th October – Trix Bar, Antwerp
21st October – Left Of The Dial, Rotterdam
22nd October – Left Of The Dial, Rotterdamn
Tickets available HERE