New Jersey alt-rock dreampop outfit Deardarkhead presents their new single ‘Letting Go’, the first taste of ‘The Pendulum Swings’, an instrumental anthem built around soaring guitar leads and melodic bass hooks. A piece about growth and change, centered on releasing old patterns and embracing new directions, the track features keyboardist Joe McGinty, known for his work with The Psychedelic Furs, Nada Surf, Ryan Adams and Deborah Harry, adding atmosphere and texture.
Now made up of guitarist Kevin Harrington, drummer Robert Weiss and bassist James Malizia, who, in August 2024, took over from Brandon Howard, who recorded bass on this album. Deardarkhead has built a distinctive identity since the departure of vocalist-bassist Michael Amper in 2009, shifting fully into instrumental composition where melody and texture take the place of vocals.
With many notable milestones over their nearly four decades, including shows with the likes of Supergrass, The Psychedelic Furs, Everclear, Nothing and The Lilys, the new album captures an ever-evolving band, refining their voice through texture, atmosphere, and emotional momentum.
Taking their name from the 1867 Irish poem “Cean Dubh Dilis” by Samuel Ferguson — a work about a beautiful dark-haired girl — Deardarkhead was formed in 1988 in the Atlantic City, New Jersey area. Their identity rooted as much in mood as in melody, their music blends atmospheric dreampop, shoegaze shimmer and ethereal rock, unfolding as an original, guitar-driven psychedelic tightrope walk balancing moody textures and shimmering melodies.
“This first single ‘Letting Go’ is a song about growth. It’s a song about change. Letting go of old ways. It’s about taking a new direction and knowing that it’s going to be right,” says Kevin Harrington.
Rob Weiss adds, “This started out as a piano piece by guitarist Kevin Harrington and quickly grew into a full blown anthem with soaring guitar leads and melodic bass hooks. In demand keyboardist Joe McGinty and fellow South New Jerseyan provided backing keyboard tracks for the song.”
Deardarkhead’s sixth recording and second full-length album, ‘The Pendulum Swings’ captures a period of renewed experimentation and refinement. Recorded at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia, they worked with producers Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey (The War on Drugs, Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten) and Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Joe Lambert (Animal Collective, Blonde Redhead, Beach House, M83, Wild Nothing).
This album moves through shifting moods ranging from soaring, psychedelic-tinged guitar anthems to driving post-punk rhythms and more ambient, abstract passages. The result is a dynamic and cohesive work that highlights the band’s signature blend of shimmering guitars, pulsing bass, and powerful percussion. The band pushes the envelope with their instrumental approach, using drum loops, unusual time signatures, ebow, bass VI, and expanded guitar layering.
To date, Deardarkhead has released five recordings on their own Fertile Crescent Records, their music also featured on numerous US and Japanese indie compilations, beginning with 1998 debut album ‘Unlock the Valves of Feeling’. In 2011, Captured Tracks released ‘Oceanside: 1991-1993’, a retrospective of their early material as the second contribution to their Shoegaze Archives series. They then joined iconic label Saint Marie Records in 2015, releasing their critically-acclaimed ‘Strange Weather’ EP with them in 2016.
‘Letting Go’ is out now, available from music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp. Now available for pre-order, ‘The Pendulum Swings’ album will be released on CD, digitally, and on 180-gram vinyl on July 10.
CREDITS
Kevin Harrington – guitars (all tracks) and bass VI, ebow & bass (track 10)
Robert Weiss – drums & percussion
Brandon Howard – bass (tracks 1-9)
Joe McGinty – keyboards (track 6)
Recorded at Miner Street Recordings, Philadelphia, PA
Produced, engineered & mixed by Brian McTear & Amy Morrissey
Mastered by Joe Lambert
Cover photography & design by Robert Weiss
Video directed and edited by William Murray
Band photos by Mike Maney
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR