Currently finishing up an EU tour with Placebo that includes a date at Brixton’s O2 Academy, DEADLETTER share new single ‘Madge’s Declaration’ taken from debut EP Heat! out 18th November via SO Recordings.
‘Madge’s Declaration’ draws inspiration from the materialistic nature in which we as a species treat the world and one another, with a population that chooses to disregard values and humility and instead engage in a seemingly interminable pursuit of material articles. Everything today is disposable; if something is not instantly pleasing it is cast away. The song’s name and idea is drawn from what Madonna said in 1984: “We are living in a material world.”, words that have strengthened over time.
Frontman Zac Lawrence said the following on the track:
“We wanted to make something that had elements of humour and danceability, trying to explore a genuinely terrifying idea in a manner which mirrors our cultural fascination with it. Our tendency to work around the drumbeat and bassline is highly evident here, with the song climaxing in a cacophony of primal ecstasy.”
Debut EP Heat! is out 18th November via SO Recordings , and it’s the sound of a band starting to find their feet in the studio. It’ll feature previous singles ‘Binge’, ‘Weights’, and now ‘Madge’s Declaration’.
Recorded at Hackney’s Pony Studios with producer Elliot Heinrich, there is a notable evolution from their looser, politically-charged early singles, coming as the group matures both sonically and conceptually. Heat! suggests DEADLETTER are more than just another post-punk band, but maybe have a scope wider than any could have first predicted.
Hailing from Yorkshire, now South London rooted, they channel the droll fury of Gang of Four and the lopsided rhythms of Talking Heads into a strain of vehement post-punk, exploring the darker side of existence through a lens of narrative-driven levity. With members being firm friends from birth, there is an instinctive understanding of movement and danceability to their music worth its weight in gold, whilst never cheapening the nuance and grit of their sound.
Childhood friends Zac Lawrence (vocals), Alfie Husband (Drums) and George Ullyott (Bass) graduated from busking around Yorkshire town centres in their early teens, and moved down into a shared house in South London – prompting the necessity, and allowing them the space develop their own personal antithesis to the grind of daily life.
After some lineup experimentation, the addition of Will King (Guitar), Sam Jones (Guitar) and Poppy Richler (Saxophone) completed the group. Bound together by a recognition of frenetic energy and rhythm and leaving any wider ideological goal open to interpretation by the listener, DEADLETTER have toured relentlessly throughout 2022, fostering a reputation as one of the most exciting bands in the UK in the process. With support slots including dates with Do Nothing, Tropical F**k Storm, Yard Act, and Placebo, they are still clearly not a group to be missed live.
