Adam KeysDEAF HAVANA – All These Countless Nights (BMG)
Genre – Alt rock / pop punk
It’s been a troublesome few years for Norfolk born rockers DEAF HAVANA. Frontman James Veck-Gilodi has struggle with addiction and commitment issues, and the four piece came very close to splitting, with the frontman going as far as starting a solo side project.
But, like any good band, it has only brought them closer. Veck-Gilodi has described All These Countless Nights as the first real and honest album the band has made. This is what he describes as the real James Veck-Gilodi and the real DEAF HAVANA.
Opening with Ashes, Ashes; this latest release starts much like any of DEAF HAVANA’s previous releases. It’s got all the big pop punk chorus’s fans love, the guitars are racing and the energy and spirit makes you feel alive. The difference in this album is the lyrics. This album has much more depth to it than anything they’ve previously recorded.
This brutal honesty really comes to the fore in the albums fourth track, and standout number Happiness. Slowed down, acoustically driven and brutally honest, this is a track were the trouble singer bares his soul. This isn’t a cry for help. This is a rock star that’s struggled, fought his battles and come out the other side.
Throughout the track Veck-Gilodi speaks of the effect his drinking had on those around him, with the lyric ‘My drinking takes its toll on everyone I know’ particularly standing out. This honesty continues in the alt rock vibes of the album’s lead single Fever, another incredibly open track that lays things down in simple honest language.
Fever takes the album in a new direction. It’s much heavier than the opening tracks, which in their essence are pop punk numbers. Fever on the other hand is very much an alt rock track with thicker riffs and much harder drumming that sets the tone for the second half of this LP.
Pretty Low, as the name suggests is another heavy number, with the opening lyric ‘Prone to hate myself some days’ setting the tone for the track. Despite such a downbeat opening line, this is another track that comes across much more upbeat than the content would suggest, which is a real testament to the talents of this band.
DEAF HAVANA have once again stepped up their game with this album. This is without doubt their best release to date. With a mix of alt rock, pop punk and even a touch of Southern rock (Seattle), this mature release will kick the band on another new level.
RUSHONROCK RATED – 9/10 Brilliant. Brutal. Real.
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