Deafheaven: Sunbather (2LP, 10th anniversary remix and remaster, orange, yellow & pink vinyl, indie exclusive) [DEATHWISH]

Why you'll love it

This indie exclusive 2LP set pairs the 10th anniversary remix and remaster with orange, yellow & pink haze vinyl, cut at 45 RPM in a gatefold jacket. Critics put Sunbather among the most acclaimed albums of 2013.

This edition

• 2LP set
• 10th anniversary remix and remaster
• Orange, yellow & pink vinyl
• Indie exclusive
• Cut at 45 RPM
• Gatefold jacket
• Printed inner sleeves
• Lyrics included
• Pressed in the Czech Republic

About the album

Picture the warmest summer afternoon you can remember, then add a drummer playing as fast as humanly possible. That's roughly the trick Deafheaven pulled in 2013, wrapping the fury of black metal in the glow of shoegaze and post-rock and arriving at something oddly joyful.

George Clarke's distant howl sits deep in the mix while Kerry McCoy's guitars ring out in bright major keys. "Dream House" sets the tone with a ten-minute rush, "Sunbather" climbs and climbs, and "Vertigo" takes its time before the storm hits. Producer Jack Shirley recorded it at Atomic Garden Studios in East Palo Alto, and he remixed and remastered it in Oakland a decade later, opening up the guitars and drums for this edition. Long instrumental passages give the record its breathing room, and the whole thing flows like one continuous piece, best heard from start to finish with the volume well up.

The record gave a name and a home to the blackgaze sound, and plenty of bands have followed its lead. This pressing matches the sleeve so closely that you could, in theory, lose it on its own cover.

Also at Kops: more Deafheaven on vinyl · browse Metal

Tracklist

Listen

On Deathwish (cat# DW251), a reissue of the 2013 album.