The rain falls down
an endless sound…
In the early 2010s, there was truly no band I liked better than Deathday. Formerly known as Deathday Party and centered around brothers and multi-instrumentalists Alex and Giovanni Guillén, the band walked a fine line between controlled experimental chaos and furious club bangers, often exploring both sides of the cold/dark post-punk spectrum on the same track. The duo released two LPs, several singles, and a handful of killer compilation tracks (including the absolutely lethal “Dropped Into Obscurity,” a track we selected as our personal best of the decade) before going on hiatus, with Alex working primarily as DJ, producer, and film composer since.
However, after over a decade of silence, Deathday has returned with an equally lethal new single, titled “Hungry Ghosts.” The track is the first taste of new music from upcoming LP Sans Soleil and was recorded and produced alongside the legendary Matia Simovich at Infinite Power Studios in LA. The track is a welcome breath of fresh air, the sound of true masters of the genre picking back up where they left off. All the ingredients that made Deathday my personal favorite band of the era are back in full effect, including razor sharp production, scathing guitars, textured vocals, and whirling synthesizers, with a delightful Cure-inspired guitar solo that takes flight towards the end of the track. “Hungry Ghosts” is a truly triumph of the genre, a modern day masterpiece that pleases and devastates in all the best ways.
Listen to the track below:
The track’s origins stem from a cleverly reversed instrumental loop, which serves as the ominous backbone of the track and taps into the band’s surrealist influences which include Jean Cocteau, Ingmar Bergman, and of course, David Lynch, as well as a variety of literary and sonic touchstones that are meant to displace the senses. Giovanni Guillén explains, “We write a lot from the unconscious, surrealist perspective of a person, place, or atmosphere. Characters that aren’t all there. Realities that shift and turn.”
“Hungry Ghosts” is out today on Bandcamp and all streaming services. Stay tuned for more from the band and upcoming release details for Sans Soleil.
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