DEADLETTER: Living In A Material World

Nov 17

Nov 17 DEADLETTER: Living In A Material World

I have spent more time than I care to admit knee-deep in the streams of Spotify, panning for gold. Wading through the never-ending network of related artists in a bid to find the next big thing and secure the associated clout that comes from having heard them first. More often than not, these extended listening sessions end in little more than avant-garde noise records blasting into my ears at two o'clock in the morning, stuck in an existential spiral of my own thoughts (we’ve all been there, haven’t we?) however, every now and then our efforts are rewarded.

I can recall with great clarity my first encounter with DEADLETTER. In the midst of a lockdown evening, already hours down the rabbit hole. I stumbled across the band and was immediately grabbed by the skipping chug of the opening refrain in ‘Fit For Work’. That infectious bassline paired with the track’s priceless opening line “Johnny’s missing two arms but his legs look dandy / fit for work” set the tone for what is perhaps one of the best political songs of recent times with its scathing annihilation of the quickly deteriorating British benefits system. After multiple listens I concluded that the search was up, I’d found the new band. My new band. Since then, I have been glued to their journey, waiting in anticipation for every release and now two years on and with myriad achievements already under their belt, the South London group are set to drop their debut EP ‘Heat!’ on So Recordings.

Now assembled of six members including lead singer Zac Lawrence, DEADLETTER originally started life as a three-piece in the deepest recesses of North Yorkshire before moving to London to further cultivate their developing sound. Acknowledged by Lawrence as a more “fertile breeding ground” for the band, the capital would prove a stark contrast to the pub circuit that represented the sum of their prospects up north. Building a reputation in a city filled with ambitious creatives presents a challenge for any aspiring artists however, on the strength of their revered live performances and the critical acclaim garnered from industry titans and tastemakers such as Steve Lamacq following the release of their debut singles, the band quickly gained a reputation as one of the most exciting acts within the burgeoning post-punk scene.

This year, however, has perhaps been their biggest to date. A full schedule of festivals, support slots and a nine-date headline tour across the UK cumulating in a sold-out show at London’s legendary 100 Club. Now, they find themselves on the verge of the release of their debut EP ‘Heat!’, a powerful tour de force that tackles some of the biggest moral and social questions of our time.

The rollout of the record began back in August with the release of ‘Binge’, an anthropological assessment of the great western tradition of overindulgence “Be it food / be it booze / silken garments / shining jewels” Lawrence sings on the track, encompassing the all-inclusive nature of our collective vices. ‘Binge’ also represented a marked sonic and lyrical shift from the band that I uncovered on Spotify on that lowly lockdown evening. Gone were the overtly political overtones and in their place now exists something much more introspective. “From the age of around sixteen I was writing quite overtly political music and I think that there was a part of me which wanted to explore more aspects of what it is to be human and focus less on the way in which we are governed, take it away from the faults that lie within society and more towards what are the faults that lie within the individual,” Lawrence explained during our recent chat. Regarding the new record, he expanded. “It’s got an empathetic tone to it but also a slightly misanthropic one because a lot of it is sneering and critical of human nature.”

““It was only upon putting those five songs together as a collection in the EP that I actually became aware of just how much biblical imagery and language that I throw into the lyrics that I write””

The critique on the bankruptcy of human nature is something that continues across the EP, with Lawrence and co. taking aim at the modern proclivity to abandon our morals in pursuit of material gain. ‘Madge’s Declaration’, the second cut on the record, is a swaggering anthem that highlights collective complicity in a system of consumption where the most innocuous acts can perpetuate the most insidious suffering. “I’ve got shoes / but no soul and I live in a material world” is the rousing rallying cry that evokes just a prick of conscience, before allowing it to melt away in the euphoric Stones Roses-esque final third. Not immune from the shortcomings of human nature, Lawrence himself concedes that. “I am not the innocent judge; these things interest me because I have found myself engaging in them one way or another in the past.” Just like the rest of us. Nobody is beyond reproach.

In addition to its contemplative air, the main strength of ‘Heat!’ lies within its visceral imagery. Permeating all elements of the project from the monochrome depiction of the flaming forbidden fruit on the cover to the condemnatory lyricism sprinkled throughout, there is a consistent undertone of biblical symbolism that sets the record apart from many of the post-punk releases of the year. Discussing these elements Lawrence explained, “it was only upon putting those five songs together as a collection in the EP that I actually became aware of just how much biblical imagery and language that I throw into the lyrics that I write. It had been a very subconscious thing until it came to writing press releases.”

The importance of this in the context of the record is something, however, that the singer was keen to keep veiled. “One of the most soul-destroying aspects of being a songwriter is having to create press releases and flesh everything out I have written,” Lawrence explained, before further elaborating. “Art is there for the person who is interpreting it. What I love the idea of Is one person listening to it and taking one thing from it and another person listening to it and taking something completely different.”

Whatever you take from the record, it is difficult not to enjoy DEADLETTER's debut even if it is for the musicality alone. Rooted in post-punk sensibilities, the EP is at once raw and diverse in its sonic palette. Sprinkled with a variety of influences from Madchester to Madness, the record is sure to find a rapturous reception upon its release. Having previously alluded to possessing a tried and tested formula for songwriting, this body of work is the certification that proves whatever they are doing is working. ‘Heat!’ is a thought-provoking whirlwind from start to finish; with its release, the band make huge leaps forward in their rise through the ranks of the British music scene. Clout pending.