DEADLETTER - 'Mere Mortal'
A gleaming darkness to a perfect villainous soundtrack, DEADLETTER have been flitting out tracks since the temperaments of 2020's lockdown. Spearheaded by magnetic Binge in 2022 with The Snitching Hour bringing a new colour of groove in 2023, the art-punk collective from Yorkshire have now announced their debut album later this year.
The record's latest single Mere Mortal received its first radio airplay from Lamacq on 6Music this evening and is another one of the bands' motifs to frame on the wall - rapturous basslines, frantic guitar groans and cunning saxophones - as it sets the groundwork for an eagerly-awaited debut from the connoisseurs of cold, hard truths. A personal tragedy is played out of a friend’s suicide, aiming to resonate with those familiar with loss and longing.
Laced by a ragged sardonic delivery underpinned with crooning instrumentals, their debut album Hysterical Strength promises left-field analysis into the tragedy and beauty of past and present humans, all the while opening eyes to the contradictions of modern living. As lead singer Zaz Lawrence explains, “It’s punishing but there’s also fucking beauty out there.”
An expose that is often uncovered in the landscapes of all forms of post-punk, DEADLETTER's sound goes above and beyond to imitate life through art. In which case, through the eyes of the band, art must be only bitter and grey.
Their debut, Hysterical Strength is expected to drop on the 13th September. Amongst the announcement, the band’s upcoming tour marks their most extensive yet, with performances scheduled in major cities across Europe before heading to the UK in November.
Words by Alex Curle
