Dehd's 'Flower of Devotion' Is Out Now!
Dehd's brand new record entitled 'Flower Of Devotion' is out today on Fire Talk! We're beyond thrilled to finally share this record with you all, you can buy it online below or at your favorite record store or stream it on your favorite digital hub.
The trio went into the album’s writing and recording with clear minds, ready to take what they’d learned the last time around and refine it further. “The last record, the vibe was ‘How minimal can it be? What’s the minimum that a song requires to succeed?’ This one was like, ‘How can we make this thing that’s really powerful?,” says Balla. Kempf clarifies: “We didn’t become more perfectionist. We’ve always been really scrappy, but we decided to polish our scrappiness just a little bit.”
“ The new album builds on their electrifying spirit of dejection, grappling with the push-and-pull of modern romance in songs shot through with longing.” - Pitchfork
“Dehd have a early case for having the indie rock record of the summer.” - Vice
“It’s an impressive range of tracks, featuring deeply confrontational ballads, reverb-heavy dance anthems, and personal soliloquies that I just can’t get enough of.” - Brooklyn Vegan
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“I want nothing more than to be a loner,” Emily Kempf sings early on Flower of Devotion, the new album by Chicago trio Dehd. It’s a startling admission coming from a songwriter who, just a year ago on Dehd’s critically acclaimed Water, wrote eloquently about the joys and pains — more than anything, the necessity — of love, compassion, and companionship. But then, “admission” isn’t really the right word here, given the stridency of Kempf’s tone. “Loner” is a declaration.
The record ups the ante on Dehd’s sound & filters in just enough polish to bring out the shining and melancholy undertones in Jason Balla and Emily Kempf’s songwriting, even as it captures them at their most strident. Balla’s guitar lines at times flirt with ticklish cosmic country, while at others they reflect the dark marble sounds of Broadcast. Kempf, meanwhile, establishes herself as a singer of incredible expressive range, pinching into a high lonesome wail, letting loose a chirping “ooh!,” pushing her voice below its breaking point and letting it swing down there. When she and Balla bounce descending counter-melodies off one another over McGrady’s one-two thumps, or skitter off over a programmed drum pad, they sound like The B-52s shaking off heartache.
What makes Flower of Devotion so impressive is how its creation seems to have strengthened its creators, both as individuals and as a unit, even as they’ve stared down their own limitations. It’s also striking just how much fun they seem to be having in the process. “It’s okay to be lighthearted in the face of despair,” Kempf says. It’s a theme that runs through the album, from the opening back-and-forth build of “Desire” to the click-clacking chorus of “Haha,” which finds them deflating their own history. Flower of Devotion was recorded in April and August of 2019 in Chicago. It will be released on Fire Talk Records on July 17th 2020.
2nd Pressing
Glow in the Dark Vinyl - 300 Copies
Black in Bright Green Vinyl - 500 Copies
Black Vinyl - 500 Copies
1st Pressing
Neon Green Splatter Vinyl - 500 Copies
Black Vinyl - 500 Copies
* Additional color variants available via fine independent retailers everywhere.