Deafheaven

Deafheaven originated in February 2010 in San Francisco, California, as a two-piece project featuring vocalist George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy. The duo, both formerly of the grindcore band Rise of Caligula, self-recorded and released an untitled demo album in April 2010. This initial offering, created on acoustic guitar with borrowed studio equipment, contained four tracks that blended traditional black metal elements with post-rock influences. The demo was positively received after being shared with music blogs, leading Clarke and McCoy to expand the lineup to a five-piece and begin live performances in July 2010.

Later in 2010, Deafheaven signed with Deathwish Inc., releasing their debut album, “Roads to Judah,” in April 2011. This album explored themes of substance abuse and debauchery, earning recognition on year-end lists from NPR, Pitchfork, and The A.V. Club. The band gained further exposure through tours with Canadian noise rock band KEN mode and post-rock act Russian Circles, as well as performances at major festivals like SXSW. The period following “Roads to Judah” saw a shift in the band’s lineup, with Daniel Tracy joining on drums and later Stephen Clark and Shiv Mehra for touring. This solidified the core members who would go on to define Deafheaven’s sound.

Deafheaven achieved significant critical acclaim with their second album, “Sunbather,” released in June 2013 through Deathwish. “Sunbather” expanded upon their unique blend of black metal, shoegaze, and post-rock, achieving a Metacritic score of 92/100 and becoming one of the most lauded albums of the year. It marked their first appearance on the Billboard charts, reaching number 130 on the Billboard 200. Subsequent albums like “New Bermuda” (2015) and “Ordinary Corrupt Human Love” (2018) continued to evolve their sound, with “Honeycomb” from the latter earning a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance. Their 2021 album, “Infinite Granite,” showcased a stylistic departure with a greater emphasis on clean vocals and shoegaze, while “Lonely People with Power” (2025) returned to a heavier, more aggressive approach. Through these releases, Deafheaven has consistently pushed musical boundaries, solidifying their reputation as an innovative force in contemporary heavy music.