by David Wilikofsky
Deathcrash emerged out of The Windmill scene, coming up at the same time as current stars like BCNR, Black Midi, and Squid. Each of these bands have very different points of view, but they all share a common piece of DNA; they are loathe to sit still, every album serving as a snapshot of a particular point in their evolution. With the release of their sophomore album, Deathcrash prove they have that same sense of artistic adventurousness. Moving away from the art-rock sprawl of their debut, Less is a laser focused statement that still manages to draw you into its tangled web.
When Deathcrash entered the studio to record Less, they were coming off the release of their debut album Return. That album was huge, both figurative and literally; in just over an hour, the band threw everything at the wall: post-rock theatrics, moody spoken word interludes, sludgy slowcore. Its followup was planned to be something completely different, a stripped down EP of more melodic songs, and although their ambitions grew as the material developed, the end result still feels rooted in that original intent. The wild experimentation of Return is gone, replaced by a singular sense of purpose. These songs all follow the same basic modus operandi, pairing drawling slowcore melodies (think Low, Seam, Codeine) with downbeat, depressive lyrics. Even when lead singer Tiernan Banks’ words are difficult to make out, the warble in his voice communicates everything you need to know. It’s always obvious this is deeply personal and deeply felt music.
I found it easy to get lost in the sprawling ideas of Return, and despite its sharp focus I’ve found myself drawn into Less in much the same way (albeit for different reasons). The band recorded the album at the UK’s most remote recording studio, and these songs seem to take on the quality of those surroundings. They’re expansive; at times each carefully considered note feels like a twinkling star in a pitch black sky, at others the band’s lugubrious melodies seem to stretch as far as the eye can see. The album’s sprawl is less intellectual and more emotional, each note building up a roiling psychic landscapes that match the grandeur of anything nature has to offer. It’s this quality that seems to be at the heart of everything Deathcrash has done to date. Each statement, no matter what its sound, is an immersive experience, one that lingers in your mind long after its final notes ring out.