Deerhunter Broadens Sonic Palette On New Album

Much has been said about Deerhunter that has nothing to do with their music. The band’s outspoken and unapologetic frontman, Bradford Cox, continues to captivate the music press with his thoughts on any topic imaginable. But Deerhunter is a band, after all – a five-piece operation based out of Georgia, each member bringing their own musical background and solo projects to the table. What has attracted listeners to the group is not a candid comment on the state of the music industry but their dense and developed sound that’s only improved with time.

Enter the band’s new album Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?, released earlier this month. Described as “a science fiction album for the present,” it draws from specific events – revolutions in the streets of Russia in 1917 on “Death in Midsummer,” Labour Party MP Jo Cox’s death on “No One’s Sleeping” and themes of ecological destruction weaved throughout. It clocks in at just 37 minutes but packs a punch both sonically and thematically.

Deerhunter’s drummer Moses Archuleta spoke with us in advance of the band’s March 2 show at 9:30 Club, detailing the intricate technicalities that make their new record so different from anything else they’ve ever done before. As he explained their process for writing and recording, it became increasingly clear that as much was transpiring in the notes of this record as in its lyrics.

“The album is simultaneously very familiar to fans of Deerhunter, and hopefully comforting and enjoyable in the way of it not being a wild departure,” he said. “But I do feel like there are definite things that are different and interesting and unique about this album because of the process it went through.”

Archuleta said that while the breadth of topics approached on the new album makes it next-level, there’s more at play here. Roles were solidified, band members went through life changes and people matured. That’s all evident, especially to Archuleta, who found ownership of his role as drummer a beneficial addition to the process.

While internally becoming masters of their musical domain, the band sought outside inspiration from musician Cate Le Bon, who produced the album and gave the band the jolt they needed to weave in the multifaceted aspects of the record in a cohesive way.

“There had been a magnetic pull to try and do something a bit different,” Archuleta said of Le Bon’s involvement, which included singing on “Turnung” and playing harp throughout.

“Sonically, [the album is] very full and rich sounding. We’re all older and it feels like a much more mature effort overall. Cate was a big part of that as far as having that sort of direction. It was an artistic camaraderie that was new and interesting to work with.”

The band also toured with new material before even beginning to record it, a process unlike anything they’ve endured before. And while it was helpful from a technical standpoint, their songs became living, breathing things that changed when it came time to record.

“It’s interesting because we became overconfident,” Archuleta elaborated. “We were like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re going to nail this.’ And then you start to realize that you’re trying to make a different point with the record than with the show. So that was a self-deception in some ways. On the flipside, the positive things that were working had been so rehearsed and nuanced at that point that it allowed for a lot of creativity to happen.”

Now that Archuleta and his bandmates have added another piece to their creative tapestry with Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?, they’re sharing it with fans on tour. Don’t miss their 9:30 Club show on Saturday, March 2. Doors are at 6 p.m., tickets are $25. For more on the band, visit www.deerhunter.com.

9:30 Club: 815 V St. NW, DC; 202-265-0930; www.930.com