EP REVIEW: Heat! – Deadletter

After a string of well received singles, DEADLETTER deliver their debut EP Heat! to the masses and it fair to say that this is a collection of clever, witty and biting songs that will stick with you and will make you listen again and again and again. DEADLETTER are a band that makes post-punk anthems full of sharp riffs, discordant grooves, intelligent lyrics and a sense of sarcastic fun all over nagging grooves that swirl over in your heard in the best possible way. In turn, you will have the songs on here stuck in your head for days .

This EP is also packed full of rumbling, metallic basslines and brilliant saxophone flourishes that elevate the sound of DEADLETTER and all of these different sounds and vibes combine to make for an interesting and fully joyous listening experience. The five tracks that make up Heat! are all well crafted and definitely pack in a lot of different feelings and vibes throughout but never fail to keep your attention as they veer from one to another and sometimes back again. There is a knowing repetitiveness going on at times as well, especially in some of the grooves that power each of the songs, but it’s always done in a way that doesn’t make it feel predictable and you never feel anything other than captivated as you listen, which only adds to the energy of the songs.

All five tracks are headed by singer Zac Lawrence‘s commanding vocals and his brilliant lyrics come across as quite scathing at times but also fiercely intelligent and profound, especially on songs like Madge’s Declaration (with its brilliant “I’ve got shoes but no soul and I live in a material world” refrain), the funky Binge, and the closing brilliance of Zeitgeist, and when combined to the discordant groove and rhythms of the music you have a recipe for success. It is a great to see a band who revel in the post-punk sound and are seemingly influenced by the storied likes of WIRE and GANG OF FOUR, making music that is influenced by the past while putting their own spin on things in a truly modern or even futuristic fashion in the way those early bands did perfectly.

Heat! is a short, sharp shock of a listen and well worth immersing yourself in. Hopefully a debut album will materialise soon as this is a band that is definitely going places with their own unique take on the classic post-punk sound, attitude and vision with exciting and somewhat unexpected results. DEADLETTER are definitely a band to watch and they’ve proved that here.

Rating: 7/10

Heat! is set for release on November 18th via SO Recordings.

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