Review Summary: It may fall a little shy of its ambitions, but it still feels like a natural move in Deafheaven’s overall trajectory
For the most part, I don’t think anybody is surprised that Deafheaven’s fifth album sees them go full on shoegaze. As well as 2019’s Ordinary Corrupt Human Love turned out, it was clear that the “black” component of their blackgaze style was getting minimized. The most extreme elements played a supplementary role to the more melodic instrumental segments and the rasps were starting to feel like something the vocalist had to do rather than something they wanted to. Change was clearly on the horizon.
With that in mind, it’s nice to see the musicians adapt well to their alternative rock influences completely taking over. The focus remains on the guitar textures, which maintain an almost suffocatingly dreamlike ambiance. The less frequent blasts allow the rhythms to take on a more abstract attitude. The vocals also maintain a distant spot in the mix, rarely shaping the melodies but still providing a reassuring presence.
The album’s real surprise comes with the songs themselves, which offer more rounded lengths that never reach the ten minute mark. While this would suggest more accessible songwriting, there still isn’t much priority placed on particularly memorable compositions. Great Mass of Color and The Gnashing are immediate standouts for their more active beats. It’s also quite neat to see a specter of their blackened past maintain itself at the climaxes of Villain and Mombasa.
While Infinite Granite may fall a little shy of its ambitions, it still feels like a natural move in Deafheaven’s overall trajectory. Like all their past albums, its atmosphere is pleasant to lose yourself in and the structures are serviceable even if they aren’t overtly catchy. One could hope for the vocals to step up a little more in the future or the transitions fit to a more accessible mold in the future, but nothing can really deter the band as long as they maintain that signature vibe. This won’t replace your copy of Loveless or Souvlaki, but at least it’s giving it a shot in their own way.
