Salient

The Deadly Deaths - S/T

By Stacey Knott | 12 Mar, 2007

At camp A Low Hum, I found myself hoisted in the air by a rather good looking young man. Back down on the ground, we partied the night through. He was charming, confident yet unpretentious, amusing and possessed an understated coolness.

So, how surprised I was to receive his press package – I didn’t even know he was in a band. Ten more points. His band, The Deadly Deaths, are a great reflection of how I interpreted him from that night.

He, Tuhua Mutu, on synth and vocals, with Nick Feisst on guitar and vocals and Bevan Galbraith on drums formed the band in 2006 in Hamilton, and their debut self tilted, self produced album is self proclaimed “restrained-indie-synth-pop”.

“Restrained” as in no over killed fuzz guitars, no wailing, no abrasive ‘get your party on’ synths, no tortured artist vocals and a lack of instrumental competitiveness. Instead, The Deadly Deaths produce soothing harmonies and poignant lyrics, complementary synth and guitar and controlled, driving drums.

Upon first listen, I found there wasn’t much variation with the tracks, but given time, it is a ‘grower’: the more I hear it, the deeper I fall for it. Half-time ‘Double Team’ is a standout, vocally somewhat de- rivative of introspective-leaning Dandy Warhols, and the synth leads the way towards Air.

Throughout the tracks, the guitar is generally quite subtle, at times psychedelic, such as on ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ and ‘Deadline’, paying homage to one of their influences, Pink Floyd.

The song structures are rather similar, with the harmonies often chilling, drumming simplistic, vocals dreamily distant (a reflection on some of the lyrical content), much of it subtly catchy – far from the cheesy synth pop of some of The Deadly Deaths’ contemporaries.

I highly recommend The Deadly Deaths, and not just due to Tuhua’s entertainment value; this album is perfect for late night ‘chilling out’ and definitely one of my favourites of the year to date.