Deerhunter is an American
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band from
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of
Bradford Cox (vocals, guitar, keyboards),
Moses Archuleta (drums, electronics, sound treatments),
Lockett Pundt (guitar, vocals, keyboards),
Josh McKay (bass) and Javier Morales (keyboards, synthesizers, alto saxophone).
Founded by Cox, Archuleta and Harper, Deerhunter's first stable line-up included guitarist Colin Mee and bass guitarist Justin Bosworth. After recording a
split EP with Alphabets, Bosworth died aged 24 on March 29, 2004, of head injuries suffered during a skateboarding accident. The band recorded their first studio album, ''
Turn It Up Faggot'' (2005), with
Josh Fauver occupying the vacant role of bass guitarist. Following the album's release, Cox asked childhood friend,
Lockett Pundt, to join Deerhunter as a song-writing partner, second guitarist, and occasional lead vocalist.
Recorded in two days, the band's follow-up, ''
Cryptograms'' (2007), combined
ambient work and more angular garage rock songs. The release was quickly followed by the EP, ''
Fluorescent Grey''. While touring the releases, Mee departed from Deerhunter, due to disagreements over the band's schedule, but rejoined soon after. Deerhunter released two studio albums, ''
Microcastle'' and ''
Weird Era Cont.'', in 2008. Both albums were recorded without the participation of Mee, who again departed for a second and final time. The band enlisted former cheerleader and high school friend of Cox, Whitney Petty, as his touring replacement.
Recorded as a four-piece with producer Ben H. Allen and engineer
David Barbe the band's fourth studio album, ''
Halcyon Digest'' (2010), was released to widespread critical acclaim, ranked as ''
Pitchfork's'' 29th and ''
Stereogum's'' 78th best album of the decade. In 2012, the departure of long-time bassist Fauver placed the band's future in doubt. Cox, Pundt and Archuleta regrouped with new members, bassist Josh McKay and guitarist Frankie Broyles, to record the primitivist
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
and
musique concrète
Musique concrète (; ): " problem for any translator of an academic work in French is that the language is relatively abstract and theoretical compared to English; one might even say that the mode of thinking itself tends to be more schematic ...
-influenced ''
Monomania'' (2013). The album expanded on a darker and more disturbing sound, complete with treated tape recordings of rats and insects, exploring themes of disassociation and mental illness.
The following year, Cox was struck by a vehicle while walking his dog near his home in Atlanta's
Grant Park. During his recovery and rehabilitation he focused on writing songs resulting in the album ''
Fading Frontier'' (2015). Several years later, the band released their most recent album, ''
Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?'' (2019).
Deerhunter have described themselves as "
ambient punk," though they incorporate a wide range of genres, including
noise
Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...
,
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
,
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
, as well as significant
pop elements.
History
2001–2005: Formation and ''Turn It Up Faggot''
The band was co-founded in 2001 by vocalist
Bradford Cox and drummer and keyboardist
Moses Archuleta. The name Deerhunter (which Cox has repeatedly remarked upon despising) was chosen by the band's first drummer, Dan Walton. Cox did not care then what the band was called as he thought it to be just another temporary art project. The band was joined by Colin Mee, whom Cox met while Mee was living at the Atlanta label
Die Slaughterhaus Records with members of
Black Lips. The two bonded over a shared interest in
Dada
Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...
and 20th Century Composers
Olivier Messiaen and
György Ligeti, as well as British bands
The Fall,
The Raincoats, and
Cabaret Voltaire. In 2004 the group's second bassist, Justin Bosworth, died of head injuries suffered in a
skateboard
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. It is usually made of a specially designed 7–8-ply maple plywood deck and has polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks.
The skateboard ...
ing accident at age 24. He appeared on only one Deerhunter release, the ''
Deerhunter/Alphabets Split'', issued before their debut album.
Joshua Fauver, of Atlanta punk band Electrosleep International, then took up the position as bassist. Deerhunter's first album, ''
Turn It Up Faggot'', was "the result of a lot of negativity".
After the band finished the album, in an indication of how difficult it was to record in the wake of his bandmate's death, Cox said "I don't ever want to make this album again".
[ The album's liner notes are dedicated to Bosworth. After the release of ''Turn It Up Faggot,'' Cox asked his best friend from high school, Lockett Pundt, to join the band.
]
2005–2007: ''Cryptograms'' and ''Fluorescent Grey'' EP
The band, now featuring Pundt's reverb
In acoustics, reverberation (commonly shortened to reverb) is a persistence of sound after it is produced. It is often created when a sound is reflected on surfaces, causing multiple reflections that build up and then decay as the sound is a ...
-saturated guitar sound, went on tour, playing shows with the likes of Lightning Bolt and Gang Gang Dance. This tour culminated in a recording session engineered by acclaimed folk musician Samara Lubelski at Rare Book Room, New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. This session failed to produce anything that could be used, due to Cox's mental and physical state at the time, as well as technical disagreements that emerged with Lubelski.[ Cox has kept a copy of the sessions on "a scratched CD-R under my bed" and has stated that "nobody will ever hear them".][ In spite of Cox's claim excerpts from those sessions were later posted as a free download on the band's blog. The band returned to the same studio where they recorded their first album outside ]Athens
Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and decided to give recording their second album another attempt. This was partly due to advice received from the band Liars, who encouraged them to re-record it.[
It took only two days in November 2005 for the band to record their second album, entitled '' Cryptograms''. In 2006, before its release, ]Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
added "Spring Hall Convert", a song from the record, to its "Infinite Mix Tape series". The album was released by Kranky in January 2007. The album revealed a more subdued and introverted sound for the band. As with their first album, ''Cryptograms'' also had a dedication inside the album's liner notes, this time to a friend of Cox's, Bradley Ira Harris, a heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
addict who died in 2005.[
On May 8, 2007, the group released the '' Fluorescent Grey'' EP, which was recorded in July 2006. The EP featured more use of rudimentary keyboards, bells, and pianos.
On August 29, 2007, the group became a quartet with the loss of guitarist Colin Mee. Mee departed because he "...couldn't make it to a couple of shows we had booked next weekend and that was unacceptable to certain bandmates". Mee rejoined the band four months later, but departed the band for the final time before 2008.
]
2007–2009: ''Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.'' and ''Rainwater Cassette Exchange'' EP
Deerhunter contributed the song "After Class" to ''Living Bridge'', a compilation put together by Rare Book Room Records. The song was recorded in the same place where they attempted to record their second album. They returned to Rare Book Room studios in April 2008 to record "Oh, It's Such A Shame," a Jay Reatard cover that would be released as a split single with Reatard himself covering the '' Fluorescent Grey'' title track. In the same month they recorded their next album, '' Microcastle''. Prior to the announced release date for the LP, the band continued to tour, with one date opening for The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
and a select of fall shows opening for Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
.
The quartet's third offering, ''Microcastle'', was set to be released on October 27, 2008, although it became available through peer-to peer networks in late May. In an attempt to reward fans who awaited for the street date, the group reconvened to record a new album of material, '' Weird Era Cont.'', which later leaked before its street date also. However, ''Microcastle'' did manage to debut at No. 123 on the Billboard 200, a first for Deerhunter. Mee left the band again, for the final time, and the band enlisted former cheerleader and high school friend of Cox, Whitney Petty, as his touring replacement.
While touring the ''Microcastle'' album in the UK, Cox booked an evening in a studio and recorded what would become the ''On Platts Eyott'' cassette. This was released in two batches of 100 copies each; an edition of pink cassettes was given out to competition winners by his record label and orange cassettes were sold at a special Halloween
Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
concert in Atlanta on October 31, 2008. In a comment left on the Deerhunter blog on February 28, Cox announced that Whitney Petty was no longer a member of the band, stating:
While on tour, the band managed to release '' Rainwater Cassette Exchange'', an EP of songs written during the ''Microcastle'' sessions, and " Vox Celeste 5," a Sub Pop single of songs from ''Weird Era Cont.'' and ''Microcastle''. To promote the releases, they embarked on a short summer trek with No Age and Dan Deacon as the "No Deachunter Tour." Later during a performance at All Tomorrow's Parties 2009 Music Festival in September (curated by The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...
), Bradford Cox announced that the band will be going on hiatus to "devote time to some other things," calling the show their last "for a long time." During the hiatus, Bradford Cox continued with Atlas Sound and released his second album ''Logos
''Logos'' (, ; ) is a term used in Western philosophy, psychology and rhetoric, as well as religion (notably Logos (Christianity), Christianity); among its connotations is that of a rationality, rational form of discourse that relies on inducti ...
'', Josh Fauver resumed work with his record label Army of Bad Luck, Moses Archuleta enrolled in culinary school, and Lockett Pundt performed some shows in celebration of '' The Floodlight Collective'', his debut album as Lotus Plaza released in March of that year.
2010–2012: ''Halcyon Digest''
In early January, it was revealed that the group would serve as openers on the upcoming Spoon tour to promote their album ''Transference
Transference () is a phenomenon within psychotherapy in which repetitions of old feelings, attitudes, desires, or fantasies that someone displaces are subconsciously projected onto a here-and-now person. Traditionally, it had solely co ...
''. Along with the Spoon tour, the group also announced some shows of their own, including stops at the 2010 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and All Tomorrow's Parties (curated by '' Simpsons'' creator, Matt Groening
Matthew Abram Groening ( ; born February 15, 1954) is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), ''Futurama'' (1999–2003, 2008–2013, 2 ...
.) During these shows, the band began to debut some new material, including the songs "Helicopter", "Primitive 3D", "Fountain Stairs" and "Revival", all of which would end up being recorded for their next studio session to follow.
In June, Deerhunter took a short break from touring to record '' Halcyon Digest''. Initial news of the album became public when music industry firm, Milk Money, posted a message on their Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account that the band had been mixing the new record with Ben Allen (who also worked on Animal Collective's '' Merriweather Post Pavilion'' and '' Fall Be Kind EP''.) A week later the band launched a new website, where they announced the title and release date of the LP, along with a guerilla style marketing campaign. The first single, " Revival," was made available to fans who had assisted the band with promotion for the new album through a link via official email. In the same month, director John Albrecht posted a trailer for an upcoming live video on his Vimeo
Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...
page set to be released later in the year. ''Halcyon Digest'' was released on September 28, 2010, to critical acclaim: it received a five-star review from AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, and was ranked the third-best album of the year by ''Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
''.
In 2012, it was announced that Deerhunter was to provide an original score to ''The Curve of Forgotten Things'', a short film by the fashion line Rodarte starring Elle Fanning
Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her works include both independent films and blockbusters, and her accolades include a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and ...
. That same year, bassist Josh Fauver left the band via email in 2012, just prior to the recording of ''Monomania''.
2013–2014: ''Monomania''
On March 22, 2013, Deerhunter announced their sixth studio album would be released on May 7, 2013. The album, entitled '' Monomania'', was recorded in New York with frequent collaborator and producer Nicolas Vernhes at his Rare Book Room Studio, where Microcastle and Parallax were taped. For ''Monomania'', Josh McKay took over bass duties, and Atlanta native Frankie Broyles was brought in to play guitar. Deerhunter's press release described the record as "nocturnal garage" while having an avant garde context. On April 2, 2013, the band performed the song "Monomania" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Deerhunter headlined and curated the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival held at Pontins holiday camp in Camber Sands, England from the June 21–23, 2013. At the event they performed the '' Cryptograms'', '' Microcastle'' & '' Halcyon Digest'' albums in full, with Atlas Sound also performing. Deerhunter was announced as a headliner at Austin Psych Fest, the 6th annual festival held April 26–28, 2013, Heineken Primavera Sound (Barcelona), Optimus Primavera Sound (Porto), and perform live at Dancity Festival (Foligno, Italy) along with FYF Fest in Los Angeles during 2015. Deerhunter have also been asked to play at the Meredith Music Festival this December in Victoria, Australia.
On December 4, 2014, frontman Bradford Cox was seriously injured and hospitalized after being hit by a car in Atlanta, GA.
2015–2017: ''Fading Frontier''
On August 16, 2015, Deerhunter released a video for a new song titled "Snakeskin," and announced that their new album, '' Fading Frontier'', was released on October 16, 2015, on the 4AD label. The song featured alto saxophonist Zumi Rosow and the video was directed by Valentina Tapia. On October 13, Deerhunter shared the video for 'Living My Life', dedicated to Miles Davis. The LP was very well received by critics.
2018–2019: ''Double Dream of Spring'' and ''Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?''
In 2018, the band released a cassette-only studio album during their Spring 2018 tour called ''Double Dream of Spring''. A mostly instrumental album, it was made to fill the void until their next album would be released the following year.
Former bass guitarist Joshua Fauver died in November 2018 at age 39. He was a member of the band from 2004 to 2012.
Deerhunter's eighth album '' Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?'' was released on January 18, 2019. The album's first single, "Death in Midsummer", was released in October 2018 co-produced by Cate Le Bon.
On Halloween 2019, Deerhunter released the 13-minute long single "Timebends". A separate entity to their eighth studio album, ''Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?,'' "Timebends" is a partly-improvised stream-of-consciousness outpouring, recorded live direct to tape and in one take with minimal overdubs and mastered using a completely analog signal chain.
The next day, Cox released the ''Myths 004'' EP in collaboration with Cate Le Bon, recorded in Marfa, Texas as part of an ongoing series with Dev Hynes, Ariel Pink and Connan Mockasin.
The band subsequently spent November 2019 on tour around Europe.
Musical style and influences
The band has cited many artists and genres that have influenced Deerhunter's sound. ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' concert review mentioned " the Breeders, Stereolab, disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
rhythm, krautrock
Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It originated among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electron ...
, Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar), Thurston Moore (lead guitar, vocals) and Lee Ranaldo (rhythm guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of ...
’s noise breakdowns, girl-group pop, the picked eighth-note bass lines of 1980s indie rock", as influences. The song "Coronado" from ''Halcyon Digest'' features saxophone sounds inspired by the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
' album '' Exile on Main St''. Cox recalled, "I wanted that sax on there because I was listening to the Stones' ''Exile on Main St'' reissue a lot...I began to see a pattern forming. Saxophones are becoming this thing. That's why we did it early. Next year everyone's gonna have a saxophone on their record because saxophones are just cool."
Deerhunter has been described as indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
, experimental rock
Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...
, psychedelic pop, noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
, garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
and art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
.
Members
Current
* Bradford Cox – lead vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboards, electronics (2001–present)
* Moses Archuleta – drums, percussion, electronics (2001–present)
* Lockett Pundt – guitar, occasional lead vocals, keyboards (2005–present)
* Josh McKay – bass guitar, organ (2013–present)
*Javier Morales – keyboards, piano, saxophone (2016–present)
Former
*Rhasaan Manning – percussion (2016–2017)
*Frankie Broyles – guitar (2012–2014)
* Josh Fauver – bass guitar (2004–2012; died 2018)
*Whitney Petty – guitar (2008–2009)
*Colin Mee – guitar (2001–2007, 2007–2008)
*Justin Bosworth – bass guitar (2001–2004; died 2004)
*Paul Harper – bass guitar (2001)
*Dan Walton – drums (2001)
*Adam Bruneau – "auxiliary drum kit in one line-up"
Timeline
Discography
*'' Turn It Up Faggot'' (2005)
*'' Cryptograms'' (2007)
*'' Microcastle'' (2008)
*'' Weird Era Cont.'' (2008)
*'' Halcyon Digest'' (2010)
*'' Monomania'' (2013)
*'' Fading Frontier'' (2015)
*'' Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?'' (2019)
Touring
During live shows, Cox has worn sundresses and has performed with fake blood smeared over his face and hands, their live show being "much more savage" than their albums. In his explanation of the sundresses Cox has said, "I don't like the idea of going around stage in just jeans and a t-shirt. It seems anticlimactic."
Deerhunter have supported many bands on tour, including Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
, TV on the Radio, Spoon, The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...
, The Fiery Furnaces, Lower Dens, and Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in 1999. The band includes brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill.
The band's early music was a blend of Southern roc ...
.
See also
* Atlas Sound – Bradford Cox's solo project
* Lotus Plaza – Lockett Pundt's solo project
See also
*List of ambient music artists
This is a list of ambient music artists. This includes artists who have either been very important to the genre or have had a considerable amount of exposure (such as those who have been on a major label). This list does not include little-known ...
References
External links
*
Official Halcyon Digest Website
*
*
*
{{Authority control
4AD artists
Alternative rock groups from Georgia (U.S. state)
American ambient music groups
American experimental rock groups
American neo-psychedelia groups
American noise rock music groups
Indie rock musical groups from Georgia (U.S. state)
Musical groups established in 2001
Musical groups from Atlanta
Musical quartets from Georgia (U.S. state)
American post-punk revival music groups
American shoegaze musical groups
Remote Control Records artists
2001 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Kranky (record label) artists