Deaf Havana’s brilliant new album ‘Fools And Worthless Liars’ might be a jumble of contradictions – a record written by a self-confessed borderline recluse that’s written to be played to crowds of thousands, a collection of songs about young confusion that sound world-weary and assured – but the one thing it is above all is brutally, beautifully honest. And that’s why it’s so valuable.
Their past has been characterised by a series of were-you-there? moments – did you hear about their European tour in December ’09 when they practically upstaged Escape The Fate? Or their sets at Slam Dunk and Sonisphere last year that were so busy you couldn’t get near the stage? Or Download 2010, when they played a heroic show for a rammed tent? – but Deaf Havana’s future was built in a week. Frontman James Veck-Gilodi had been struggling for months but, during a short break at his parents’ house, melodies and lyrics came tumbling out and he composed 10 demos in one hyper-productive seven-day stint.
“I had writer’s block for ages – I wrote two songs in a year and thought I wasn’t going to be able to write the album,” he explains. “It was a massive relief when they started to come. I felt quite trapped in London, so when I went to the country it all came out.”
Hence why ‘Fools And Worthless Liars’, produced by Matt O’Grady (You Me At Six), has such size, scope and breadth to it – the band were formed almost six years ago as a five-piece in Norfolk but it’s taken this long for them to find their voice. Having recorded and released an EP (‘It’s Called The Easy Life’) and album (‘Meet Me Halfway, At Least’) the band amicably parted ways with vocalist Ryan Mellor, leaving Veck-Gilodi, bassist Lee Wilson, guitarist Chris Pennells and drummer Tom Ogden to regroup.
What came next would take them all by surprise – they ticked off festival performances, BBC sessions and sell-out tours while reworking their old material and starting to showcase new songs as ‘Fools And Worthless Liars’ took shape.
But it took Veck-Gilodi sitting down in a room on his own and stripping everything away before they could blossom into what they are today – one of the UK’s brightest hopes. Take one listen to the disarmingly confessional opening track ‘The Past Six Years’, the glorious ‘Hunstanton Pier’ or the pounding, pulsing ‘Youth In Retrospect’ and it’s clear he’s one of the most unique lyricists in rock today.
“The simplicity of the lyrics is because these are the first lyrics I’ve ever written, and that’s all I can do,” he says. “I didn’t force it. No bullshit, no metaphors; just honesty.”
