Dehd Announce Flower of Devotion Remixed Out September 17th + Fall Tour
Last summer, Chicago-based band Dehd released Flower of Devotion, “an effortless, elegantly rumpled strain of indie rock” (Best New Music, Pitchfork), via Fire Talk. The album was welcomed with open arms by fans and critics alike, including the FADER, Vice, Variety, Vulture, Bandcamp, and more. Today, they announce Flower of Devotion Remixed, out September 17th, and a North American tour. In conjunction, they share one of its tracks, “Flying - Physical Medium Remix.” The remix album sees Dehd surrounded by a myriad of close collaborators (Lala Lala, Protomartyr, Freak Heat Waves, and more). It points a shining spotlight on the Chicago music scene the band still calls home, staying true to the trio’s earnest melodies while creating an amorphous blend of experimentation in mutated indie pop that feels like a personal mixtape for the friends that know them best.
The first single, “Flying - Physical Medium Remix,” was completed before the remix record was even conceived. “I'd like to give Physical Medium a special shout out for planting the seed and really opening my eyes and ears to the world of remixing,” says Jason Balla. “Their passion for it has been infectious.”
“What I love about dance music is that it exists to put my body into motion,” Balla continues. “It can do so many things that a normal song can’t because of its humble mission: keep the asses shaking. Dance music is just plain fun. In this spirit, we invited 14 friends to chop up Flower of Devotion and put it back together as they saw fit. No rules, no guidelines. The songs went all over the place and it was really amazing to hear songs I knew so well become something new altogether. Hearing one of our voices or a guitar line in a new context really showed me how much room as a band we have to explore. It's already impacted how we approach writing at practice, figuring out the basics and then asking ‘now what?’”
This fall, Dehd will tour across North America, including a hometown appearance at Pitchfork Music Festival with an adjacent aftershow. Following, they’ll support Julien Baker on tour. Tickets are on sale now.
Dehd Tour Dates
Fri. Sept. 10 - Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
Sat. Sept. 11 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Sat. Sept. 18 - St. Augustine, FL @ Sing Out Loud Festival
Fri. Oct.1 - Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club #
Sun. Oct. 3 - Detroit, MI @ El Club #
Mon. Oct. 4 - Toronto, ON @ The Baby G #
Wed. Oct. 6 - Montreal, QC @ L’esco #
Thu. Oct. 7 - Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel #
Fri. Oct. 8 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s #
Sat. Oct. 9 - Peekskill, NY @ First River Festival
Wed. Oct. 27 - Austin, TX @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre *
Thu. Oct. 28 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater *
Fri. Oct. 29 - Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater *
Sat. Oct. 30 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger *
Mon. Nov. 1 - Phoenix, AX @ The Van Buren *
Tue. Nov. 2 - San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park *
Wed. Nov. 3 - Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
Thu. Nov. 4 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern Theatre *
Sat. Nov. 6 - Oakland, LA @ Fox Theater *
Mon. Nov. 8 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater * - SOLD OUT
Tue. Nov. 9 - Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre *
Wed. Nov. 10 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre *
Fri. Nov. 12 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex *
Sat. Nov. 13 - Englewood, CO @ The Gothic Theatre *
Mon. Nov. 15 - Lawrence, KS @ The Granada *
Tue. Nov. 16 - St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall *
#= w/ Bnny
*= supporting Julien Baker
Stream Flying (Physical Medium Remix)
Pre Order the One Time Color Vinyl Pressing!
2020’s ‘Flower of Devotion’ was one of the most critically-heralded releases of the year, named Best New Music by Pitchfork who called the record “an effortless, elegantly rumpled strain of indie rock” and the album received further accolades from the FADER, Vice Noisey, Under the Radar, Variety and more. ‘Flower of Devotion Remixed’ sees Dehd surrounded by a myriad of close collaborators (Lala Lala, Protomartyr, Freak Heat Waves, and more) and points a shining spotlight on the Chicago music scene the band still calls home, staying true to the trio’s earnest melodies while creating an amorphous blend of experimentations in mutated indie pop that feels like a personal mixtape for the friends that know them best.
* Limited one time pressing of 1000 copies on triple button color vinyl!
“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.