Dead History have announced the release of their much-anticipated sophomore LP, Departures, arriving June 6 via Landland Colportage. The new album’s infectiously melodic lead single “Good Buddy” is available for streaming on all DSPs, with an accompanying performance video available here now. Limited edition vinyl is available for pre-order via Dead History and Landland’s Bandcamp pages.

The Minneapolis-based quintet turned heads with its 2021 self-titled debut, drawing critical acclaim and comparisons to luminaries like Quicksand, Texas Is the Reason, Hum, Jawbox, and Swervedriver in publications such as SPIN, New Noise, Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, Paste, and No Echo. With Departures, Dead History further establishes their position at the vanguard of the 2020’s post-hardcore, emo, and shoegaze revival, all while stretching out and developing an identity that defies easy categorization.

“With the first record, almost half the songs originated from riffs I’d come up with 20 years ago,” says Matthew Rezac, guitar player and Dead History founding member. “For Departures, we’d all been together for a few years, and everything was written collaboratively by jamming in real time. The result is the sound of a band coming into its own, with five of distinct personalities shining through. I also think the material is less derivative, though we still wear our influences on our sleeve quite often.”

Featuring current/former members of Gratitude, Align, Picturesque, Floodplain, Rad Owl, Reach, Story of the Sea, The Book of Dead Names, and many more, Dead History’s combined pedigree runs deep in Midwestern punk, hardcore, and indie rock circles. The band leaned into its collective past experience to find their footing as a new entity, but Departures certainly sounds like a seasoned ensemble reaching for something bigger than the sum of its parts.

“There is a wide variety of moods [on Departures],” notes vocalist Brad Senne. “The emphasis on dynamics is much more pronounced. The songs are more cinematic, more expansive, more ambitious—and there’s a greater focus on melody and harmony throughout. We definitely set out to not repeat ourselves, and to go above and beyond the genres we’re typically associated with. That said, I think those who dug the first record will have plenty to be stoked about.”

“We really wanted to explore the full spectrum of what was available to us with a singer as versatile as Brad [Senne],” adds drummer David Jarnstrom. “Brad can howl to the point where you think your eardrums just might explode, but he can also make you break down and cry in his more tender moments. Departures contains our most beautiful and our most intense material—sometimes all in the same song. There’s moments where you can hear a pin drop, and times when it sounds like a jet engine taking off.”

Lead track “Good Buddy” follows in the footsteps of Dead History’s “Empty Eyes” as an unlikely emo-pop gem sandwiched between post-hardcore bangers and epic space rock jams. Rezac’s guitar chimes out in a delay-affected pulse, adding a jangly counterpoint to Senne’s melancholic vocals. Bassist John McEwen’s melodic lines lock in with Jarnstrom’s syncopated kick and snare, while guitarist Brock Specht adds a ripping solo and colorful leads throughout.

Dead History once again tapped Jacob Carlson (Motion City Soundtrack) to mix Departures, and also to record drums and bass at Defhaus Studios in Lauderdale, MN. Kris Johnson (Jayhawks, Soul Asylum) engineered vocals at Blue Moon Studios in St. Paul, MN, while Eric Olsen (Dillinger Four) tracked guitars at NoWare Media in downtown Minneapolis, MN. David Gardner (Rocket From the Crypt, The Hold Steady) mastered Departures in Los Angeles, CA.

RIYL: Quicksand, Jawbox, Sparta, The Casket Lottery, Fugazi, Hum, Texas is the Reason