Photo by Mickael Auffret
What can one add about a band named Dead that isn’t immediately apparent? The very moniker suggests a brooding intensity, and indeed, these French architects of somber sound wield a powerfully dark aesthetic even before a single note is played. Yet, it’s when they begin their performance that they truly reveal their full, formidable force.
Four years since their last EP, Dead have been resurrected with a hypnotic new shoegaze-addled single, Angels, a precursor to their eagerly anticipated album, Paradise, set for release in November 2024.
“Angels fall from heaven,” the band posits. “But are they white angels, pure and working for peace, or black angels, fallen from paradise and messengers of death? Or perhaps they are gray angels, our own angels, our sad and worried doubles?”
Angels offers a poignant reflection on an unseen, yet profoundly influential figure—someone who has left an indelible mark on the protagonist’s dreams and early years, despite a stated skepticism about the tales surrounding this figure. As daylight fades, the lyrics explore the persistence of memory and self-doubt, with the devil’s mocking grin serving as a metaphor for external skepticism.
The track resonates with the influences of Suicide, The Soft Moon, A Place to Bury Strangers, and the poetry of Anne Clark, weaving a complex emotional and musical landscape that hints at the depth of the upcoming album.
Directed by Mickaël Auffret, the music video for “Angels” is a raw, glitch-filled vision that captures Dead’s live intensity. The footage, shrouded in smoke and interspersed with eerie, EVP-like sounds, suggests a spectral presence—ghostly voices that seem to issue a foreboding caution. This visual approach effectively complements the song’s themes, creating an atmosphere that is both disquieting and intriguing.
Watch the video for “Angels” below:
If Dead isn’t plotting the apocalypse, they’ve certainly crafted its soundtrack. Angels is bleak and confrontational, yet it maintains a masterful control over rhythm and infuses deep grooves. It’s the kind of music that invites reflection over a cup of black coffee on a moonless night.
Pre-order Paradise here and check out the single below:
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