After a six-year absence, The Dead Space returns with “Chlorine Sleep”. Recorded days before their breakup in 2015, this album marks a turning point, both for its the trio of Quin Galavis, Garrett Haden and Jenny Arthur, as well as for their collective scene in Austin, Texas.
(photo : Angela Betancourt)
The Dead Space never quite fit in since forming in 2008, and never really cared to. The trio quietly managed to craft their own brand of tightly wound art rock, equal parts bleak and brooding, but presented in stark tones. Whether their allergy to artifice was a roadblock, in keeping with their character or some combination of both, it’s hard to say. Either way, the Dead Space were very much on the outside looking in prior to the release of their well-received first album, 2014’s ‘Faker’ . And when it finally seemed they could reach a broader audience, they did what any good band should do – they broke up.
(preorder ‘Chlorine Sleep’ via Bandcamp)
(preorder ‘Chlorine Sleep’ via 12XU)
Slightly before that, however, the band returned to Ian Rundell’s Second Hand Tacos studio to record ‘Chlorine Sleep.’ The record carries the band’s history forward with arduous blasts of force, contrasting with stark, lean efficiency, and exposes a sense of fragility and vulnerability. With Garrett Hadden’s return to Texas, preparation to return to the stage later this year and next with a renewed vision and sense of purpose, The Dead Space’s ferocious sophomore effort that expands on previous themes while forging a new path all its own. It’s great to have them back.
(photo : Angela Betancourt)
prior praise for ‘Faker’
“you never get the sense that the Dead Space are trying to borrow the sounds of the past as much as they are finding a place for it in the now. ‘Faker’ is about as good as one can hope for in a debut, full of great songs and unexpected turns.” – Evan McDowlell, Northern Transmissions
“Sometimes you want a rock trio to be more mindful of the air around them, but with the Dead Space, if Galavis isn’t sawing through the walls with his bass, Hadden is decimating the area around him..the decimating proficiency of how this band delivers its trade all but demands multiple listens.” – Doug Mosurock, Still Single
“a series of tightly wound meditations on loss and isolation. Austerity abounds in both the spartan arrangements and forlorn subject matter. The upside of this approach is heightened potency. Even the smallest details of these 10 songs matter..” – Greg Beets, Austin Chronicle