Review by Shannon Shumaker
Sometimes, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and it seems that Deaf Havana learned that the hard way. Before the band set out to create their new album, All These Countless Nights, they were ready to call it quits, and it took almost losing everything to realize what they wanted. Fast forward nearly three years, and the band’s newest release finds them at their best. Confident, honest and incredibly transparent, All These Countless Nights chronicles the struggle to overcome one’s demons and find happiness. This album is Deaf Havana reborn, and in the best way possible.
Opening the album is the emotional, “Ashes Ashes.” Spearheaded by crisp, somber vocals, this track sets the mood for the entire album as vocalist James Veck-Gilodi chronicles the struggles to move forward. From there, things become a little more upbeat musically with “Trigger,” but no less raw and vulnerable lyrically. The incredibly human second song opens with the line, “I’m so tired of being tired and drunk and lonely,” before becoming bright and hopeful sounding throughout the chorus.
As All These Countless Nights moves forward, the powerful lyricism and vulnerability are some of the strong points, but the album also doesn’t come without some very strong instrumentation, which can be found in diverse tracks, “Fever” and “Like A Ghost.” The fourth track, “Happiness” not only stands out because of the more mellow sound, but also because of the lyrical content, which discusses overcoming drinking problems and asking for help. Rather than combatting with one another, the beautiful songwriting and strong lyrical content only serve to complement one another, making All These Countless Nights only feel more and more powerful as it plays on.
As previously mentioned, “Fever” is another standout due to spectacular bass and guitar work, while the following “Like A Ghost” has just the perfect amount of diversity that the album needs to keep listeners interested. Subtle influences from other genres shine in this song, particularly in the use of what sounds like a talk box at the beginning of the second verse. The change in sound is unexpected, but executed flawlessly.
A few songs later, the guitar-driven “England” touches on identity and finding oneself. Alongside introspective lyrics, the subtle yet intricate guitar work really shines in this track. Then comes the emotional “St. Paul’s,” which feels like moving on.
Bringing All These Countless Nights to the strong close that it deserves is the second to last track, “Sing,” which leaves things feeling bright and hopeful, leading into the emotional final track, “Pensacola, 2013.” After all of the struggles and pain chronicled in the album, “Pensacola, 2013” is a hard-earned finale that feels like a few beginning, and I for one can’t wait to see where this takes Deaf Havana next.
Rating: 5/5
Listen to “Like A Ghost” or “Trigger”
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