DEADLETTER - Hysterical Strength Review

A triumphant debut that despite all of the grey and misery, finds the band claiming their own sound.

DEADLETTER have been knocking around for some time now. Acclaimed performances across multiple festival appearances, energetic and reverent on stage; they’ve got the knack of this band thing to a t. Two years on from their ‘Heat’ EP, the Yorkshire outfit prophesies their punk poetics on a debut album that takes form as fresh fruit taken from a rotting tree. 

The opening track ‘Credit To Treason’ is punchy and alarming with oscillating lead guitar, setting up for a mardy attitude that spreads itself across the album. The hard hitting single ‘Mother’ has bassist George Ullyott anchoring the song, the saxophone after the final chorus.

The backend of the album is one of the best backends of the year. Now settled into this realm, the group unveil bedlam in ‘Practise What You Preach’, which, in addition to the with the closing harmonies and saxophone performance from Poppy Jacqueline Richler cementing the track as one of their best to date. ‘Mere Mortal’ is a track taking personal tragedy and flipping it on its head, looking at the who have experienced a similar pain and feeling pain for the people instead. Whilst thematically heavy, is their most danceable and dare I say fun track on the album.

Lawrence’s lyricism lends itself to the dreary melodics that are a constant throughout the album. Taking inspiration from Russian Literature to the woes of Great Britain, the imagery and storytelling results as grotesque, a play of characters consisting of feeble men, devoted mothers, questionable friends and powerful enemies. Subverting the normal to uncover newfound perspectives. 

A triumphant debut that despite all of the grey and misery, finds the band claiming their own sound and testifying to perseverance in all the strange circumstances we have to arise from.