Source: Album Artwork
Despite Old Souls being Deaf Havana‘s most successful charting album, since its release back in 2013 there were doubts about the future of the band. Now a few turbulent years down the line, the quintet are back where they should be: releasing their fourth album All These Countless Nights. Still unapologetic, still raw and unafraid to present their hearts on their sleeves; the band have enjoyed a wonderful progression that fans of their past two albums will likely embrace.
On this record, we see them tackle familiar themes of alcohol abuse, relationships and self reflection. While there is an air of sombreness veiled over the tracks, ultimately they are filled with bouts of hope symbolising the positive outcome of self reflection. Previously released tracks ‘Trigger’, ‘Sing’ and ‘Fever’ didn’t do much in giving away a sonic representation of this record, and with what is their arguably most diverse effort thus far we follow Deaf Havana through a journey alternating between delicate melodies and energetic bursts. It makes for an interesting listen, of both its individual counterparts but moreso the record as a whole.
It’s so easy to root for Deaf Havana when ultimately this record is all about coming out victorious. Take ‘Happiness’, a song of triumph that reflects on the toll that substance abuse takes, which “eats away at everything, but mostly love and the strength we built between us”. On the surface, it comes across as woeful, but it is one that shows promise of self improvement as James Veck-Gilodi croons “all the time it takes to build the trust right back up, isn’t worth a single drop or glass of anything.”
Tracks like ‘Seattle’ and ‘St. Paul’s’ follow on with gentle melodies while vocals take centre stage, tugging at your heartstrings with words you wish you didn’t relate to so much. However there’s no doubt that quintet are also very good at dressing up the straining lyrics with a punchy outer shell, as in tracks like ‘Pretty Low’ and ‘Like A Ghost’. Though at the end of the long and winding journey, it feels like you need to lie down to cope with all the emotions, it is one that ends up feeling very therapeutic too. An essential listen, All These Countless Nights is a beautiful tribute to one’s struggling journey to come out the other side. It is a long overdue album from the band that we are glad to finally have in our hands.
