Emerging from the vibrant London art-rock scene that has also fostered critically acclaimed acts like Black Country, New Road and caroline, deathcrash, a quartet known for their expansive and often melancholic soundscapes, has released their highly anticipated third album, Somersaults. Launched on February 17th via untitled (recs), the album marks a significant evolution for the band, delving deep into the complexities of navigating early adulthood, grappling with relinquished youthful dreams, and confronting the anxieties inherent in contemporary life. It presents a nuanced narrative of disillusionment tempered by introspection, moving beyond the stark fatalism of their earlier works towards a more internal search for meaning amidst a challenging world.
Thematic Core: Growing Up and Giving Up
Somersaults is explicitly framed by deathcrash as an album "from a place of growing up and giving up on adolescent dreams." This thematic pivot resonates strongly with a generation coming to terms with the realities of professional aspirations, interpersonal relationships, and the broader societal landscape. The album’s lyrical content, now brought to the forefront more than ever before, serves as a poignant mirror to these experiences. On "CMC," a standout track, vocalist/guitarist Tiernan Banks laments, "This life is the best life/ Oh god, it’s the only one," a line that multiplies in meaning with each repetition. It poses an existential dilemma: is this an awakening to temporal finality, or a profound dissatisfaction with the perceived limitations of life? The ambiguity captures the essence of a demographic caught between the idealism of youth and the often-harsh realities of adulthood.
This lyrical directness represents a deliberate shift in the band’s artistic approach. While their previous albums, Return (2022) and Less (2023), certainly carried a "dismal outlook," as Banks croons on Somersaults‘ ballad "Love For M" – "Baby, songs are supposed to be sad" – this new release prioritizes vocal delivery and lyrical narrative. Banks himself has noted a departure from the "do or die fatalism" that characterized their earlier music, suggesting that Somersaults seeks guidance not through external condemnation but through inward reflection and self-accountability, however anguishing that process may be. The album acknowledges the difficulty of confronting personal shortcomings while simultaneously yearning for the simplicity of the past, encapsulated in the slowcore closer "Marie’s Last Dance": "I miss the weight of the world/ I miss my childhood as well."
A Chronology of Sound: From Bleak Post-Rock to Lyrical Introspection
deathcrash’s journey to Somersaults is marked by a consistent exploration of sonic textures and emotional depths, evolving from their raw beginnings in the early 2020s. The band rapidly carved a niche for themselves within the burgeoning London art-rock scene, a movement celebrated for its experimental approach, intellectual lyricism, and often post-punk or post-rock inclinations. Their peers, such as Black Country, New Road and caroline, share a similar sensibility for blending intricate musicianship with a keen observational eye on contemporary life, setting a fertile ground for deathcrash’s emergence.
Their 2022 debut album, Return, was an audacious introduction. An hour-long collection of bleak post-rock, it immediately drew comparisons to seminal slowcore and post-hardcore acts like Codeine and Slint. Return was praised for its immersive, sprawling soundscapes, characterized by long instrumental passages and a pervasive sense of melancholic grandeur. The critical reception was strong enough to propel them onto tours with "r/indiehead successors" like Have A Nice Life, solidifying their presence within the alternative music circuit. This initial success demonstrated the band’s capability to craft compelling, emotionally resonant music that defied easy categorization.
The following year saw the release of their sophomore effort, Less. As its title suggested, Less was about half the length of its predecessor, showcasing a more concise yet equally impactful approach. The album navigated a dynamic range, oscillating between moments of intentional restraint – delicate, almost whispered passages – and bursts of sludgy, doomy distortion. This demonstrated deathcrash’s versatility and their willingness to experiment with dynamics, further refining their signature sound while maintaining the underlying current of profound despondency that had become a hallmark of their artistry.
The three-year gap between Less and Somersaults might seem substantial in the fast-paced music industry, but it has evidently been a period of significant artistic and personal growth for the band members, now a decade or so removed from adolescence. This interval has imbued Somersaults with a palpable urgency, reflecting the universal human realization that time is not an infinite resource. While the Mogwai-esque slow-burning breakdowns remain a core element of their sound – evident in tracks like "Stay Forever" and "The Thing You Did" – the distinct shift towards vocal and lyrical prominence marks Somersaults as a new chapter, a breakdown unfolding not just instrumentally, but narratively and emotionally.
Navigating Professional and Personal Labyrinths
Somersaults serves as a lyrical excavation of the various anxieties that plague young adults, particularly those pursuing creative careers. One of the most compelling narratives within the album revolves around the often-unromantic realities of being a touring musician. On the searing, emo-inspired "NYC," Banks delivers a stark, relatable confession: "Thirty, no career, it fucking worries me/ And doing the band doesn’t help." This line captures the precarious balance many artists face, dedicating themselves to their craft while confronting the economic pressures and societal expectations of conventional success. The subsequent lines, "We’re still making progress, so just don’t quit/ I am so much more than I can cope with," speak to the immense emotional and psychological toll of perseverance in the face of uncertainty, a sentiment that resonates far beyond the music industry. It highlights the internal struggle between passion and practicality, ambition and apprehension.
Beyond professional woes, Somersaults is equally concerned with the intricate and often messy landscape of interpersonal relationships. The album delves into post-breakup strife with raw honesty, particularly on "Stay Forever." Here, Banks’ muffled vocals, pleading with a partner not to leave, are starkly contrasted by Los Campesinos!-like group vocals in the background chanting, "I hate you/ I won’t miss you." This juxtaposition perfectly encapsulates the conflicting emotions that arise from a collapsing relationship – the desperate clinging to what was, alongside the bitter, defensive anger.
Throughout the album, Banks references a series of less-than-flattering anecdotes related to love and intimacy: codependency, love triangles, and even the unsettling admission of "totally phoning it in during sex." These candid admissions, while potentially making listeners feel like they’re "eavesdropping on a gossip session," as the original review notes, ultimately contribute to the album’s profound sense of authenticity. They paint a picture of flawed individuals grappling with imperfect connections, eventually giving way to subtle moments of self-acceptance and catharsis. The narrative arc, while not always clean or resolved, reflects the messy, incremental process of emotional growth.
The title track, "Somersaults," opens with Banks pondering the nature of long-term friendships and the divergence of life paths. He questions whether a childhood friend, who has moved "up into an elegant life," still feels an obligation to care, while his own "childhood room was still the center of mine." This poignant reflection on arrested development, or perhaps simply a different pace of life, taps into a collective anxiety about identity and belonging as one’s peer group moves forward. The line, "I like what I do, still I can’t keep it going," encapsulates the crushing reality when dreams come true but don’t quite deliver the expected fulfillment or stability. This "Peter Pan Syndrome," as it’s sometimes colloquially termed, is not an inaccurate reflection of the existential quandaries faced by many in their late twenties and early thirties today, navigating a world that often demands a level of maturity and stability that feels elusive.
Production, Sound Design, and Artistic Direction
The sonic architecture of Somersaults is meticulously crafted to complement its lyrical themes. While still rooted in the expansive, dynamic sound that defined their earlier work, there’s a noticeable refinement and a more deliberate use of space and texture. The "wash of arpeggiated guitars" that unspools around Banks’ vocals on "CMC" creates an atmosphere of introspection and melancholy, allowing the lyrics to breathe and take center stage. The interplay between moments of delicate beauty and passages of intense, distorted catharsis is expertly managed, ensuring that the album never feels monotonous despite its often somber tone.
The decision to bring vocals and lyrics to the forefront represents a mature artistic choice, signaling deathcrash’s confidence in their narrative voice. This doesn’t diminish the instrumental prowess; rather, it elevates it, allowing the guitars, bass, and drums to serve as powerful emotional conduits, accentuating the lyrical themes. The Mogwai-esque breakdowns are still present, offering moments of instrumental grandeur and emotional release, but they now feel more integrated into a cohesive lyrical narrative, rather than serving as standalone statements. The album’s production ensures clarity in Banks’ often muffled or understated vocal delivery, making the personal confessions feel intimate and direct.
Broader Implications and Cultural Resonance
deathcrash’s Somersaults arrives at a time when many young adults globally are grappling with similar feelings of disillusionment, economic precarity, and a re-evaluation of traditional life paths. The album’s candid exploration of career anxieties, the complexities of modern relationships, and the pervasive sense of existential questioning makes it a culturally significant work. It provides a voice for those who feel the weight of a "broken universe" but are simultaneously searching for internal resilience.
The band’s ability to blend the expansive, often instrumental textures of post-rock and slowcore with the raw, confessional lyricism of emo creates a unique sonic space. This fusion allows them to articulate complex emotional states that transcend simple genre classifications. Somersaults doesn’t offer easy solutions or saccharine optimism; instead, it offers solidarity in shared vulnerability. Where there is noise and chaos, the album offers "a good guitar part to drown it out," suggesting that art itself can be a form of solace and a means of navigating the tumultuous waters of modern existence. It is a testament to the power of music to articulate the unspoken anxieties of a generation, fostering a sense of connection through shared experience.
In essence, Somersaults positions deathcrash not just as skilled musicians, but as astute chroniclers of contemporary angst. The album reinforces their standing within the independent music scene as a band unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths, transforming personal struggles into universal anthems of introspection and hesitant self-acceptance. Its release is poised to further cement their reputation as one of the most compelling and emotionally resonant acts to emerge from the recent wave of British art-rock.
Somersaults is out now, released on February 17th via untitled (recs).
Other Albums of Note Released This Week:
- Mitski’s Nothing’s About To Happen To Me
- Gorillaz’ The Mountain
- Bruno Mars’ The Romantic
- Iron & Wine’s Hen’s Teeth
- Bill Callahan’s My Days Of 58
- Cootie Catcher’s Something We All Got
- Lala Lala’s Heaven 2
- Nothing’s A Short History Of Decay
- Heavenly’s Highway To Heavenly
- Buck Meek’s The Mirror
- RJD2 & Supastition’s According To…
- Landowner’s Assumption
- Maria BC’s Marathon
- Virginia MacNaughton’s The Thread
- Tååth’s And The Voice Said
- The Wave Pictures’ Gained / Lost
- Crooked Fingers’ Swet Deth
- Magoo’s What A Life
- Eliza Noxon’s Good Monsters With Bad Habits
- Asher Gamedze’s A Semblance: Of Return
- Triple Blind’s Cold Walk
- Rosie Carney’s Doomsday… Don’t Leave Me Here
- LB aka LABAT’s Feel So Good Around U
- Carpenter Brut’s Leather Temple
- The Early’s I Want To Be Ready
- Voxtrot’s Dreamers In Exile
- Dog Chocolate’s So Inspired, So Done In
- Shane Parish’s Autechre Guitar
- GENA’s The Pleasure Is Yours
- EKEK’s Mountains Moves
- Market’s Cleanliness 2: Gorgeous Technologies
- Hotel Fiction’s Staring At The Sun (Deluxe)
- Taroug’s Chott
- Stephen O’Malley’s Spheres Collapser
- Archive’s Glass Minds
- Bill Frisell’s In My Dreams
- Hey Colossus’ Heaven Was Wild
- Deadletter’s Existence Is Bliss
- Final Gasp’s New Day Symptoms
- James Hood’s Astronomica Soundtrack
- Em Beihold’s Tales Of A Failed Shapeshifter
- Will Dailey’s Boys Talking
- Ben Sollee’s Time On Hold
- Julianna Riolino’s Echo In The Dust (Deluxe)
- The Gloom In The Corner’s Royal Discordance
- David August’s Hymns
- Talpah & Violent Magic Orchestra’s EXO SWAG KILLA
- Caterina Barbieri & Bendik Giske’s At Source
- Molto Ohm’s Reality Pills
- Jupe Jupe’s King Of Sorrows
- Station Model Violence’s Station Model Violence
- BLACKPINK’s Deadline Mini Album
- Fort Not’s You On Repeat
- Kishi Bashi’s Sonderlust (10th Anniversary Edition)
- 2charm’s star scum city
- Ritt Momney’s BASE
- Mateus Asato’s ASATO
- kwes’ Kinds
- GLOK/Timothy Clerkin’s Alliance Remixed
- Ken Park’s Ken Park
- Bibi Club’s Amaro
- Michael Cormier-O’Leary’s Proof Enough
- Armbruster’s Half My House
- Tinlicker’s Dreams Of The Machine
- Max Kutner’s Rogue Lash
- Andrew Bird’s The Mysterious Production Of Eggs Box Set
- PEIRIANT’s Plant
- Jeremy Fetzer’s An Evening At The Fetzicon Lounge
- Michael Cormier-O’Leary’s Proof Enough
- Ms Gloom’s J Is For Joon* Mixtape
- Draumar’s Draumar
- Endpoint’s After Taste (Deluxe Edition)
- Paul McCartney’s Man On The Run – Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Joey Valence & Brae’s HYPERYOUTH (afterparty)
- Foggieraw’s With All Due Respect
- Gord Downie, The Sadies, And The Conquering Sun’s Live At Six O’Clock
- Varials’ Where The Light Leaves
- Død Drøm’s Pulverprinsen
- babename’s Highlights
- sosocamo’s Big Country
- HolyBrune’s HighHopes
- Ceremony’s Live At The Hollywood Palladium Live Album
- EVRO’s Romance Inside: Saturn’s Return EP
- Diva And The Pearly Gates’ The Haunted House EP
- Grace Inspace’s Heavy Hair EP
- Michael Cormier-O’Leary’s Proof Enough EP
- Fleur Electra’s Strike The Match EP
- Common Holly’s They Will Draw Halos Around Our Heads EP
- Debbie Sings’ Oh My EP
- NCT JNJM’s BOTH SIDES EP
- Host Family’s Extended Play EP