Put on Those Bell Bottoms and Groove to the New Dead Heavens
True artists are lifers who will never stop creating until the day they're toes-up. From his time as a teen in influential outfits like Youth of Today, Warzone and Gorilla Biscuits to his 20s and beyond with bands like Quicksand, Rival Schools and Vanishing Life, Walter Schreifels has proven that he has a lot of gas left in the tank, and just as many songs in his quiver.
His latest is Dead Heavens, featuring members of Into Another, Cults, White Zombie and so many more. The quartet is distinctly '70s-influenced, nodding its head to everything from Sir Lord Baltimore to the MC5, while delivering it all with a groove and a relaxed air that replaces Schreifels' usual punk urgency with a quiet cool. That's not to say that the tracks on the new Dead Heavens LP, Whatever Witch You Are, are anything less than must-hear; it's just that much of the punk is gone in favor of a slinky groove, delivering another side to the artist that we haven't seen before. It looks good on him, and them.
Reached for comment on the new LP, Schreifels responded as such:
Fasten your spiritual seatbelt and slip sideways into time.
Far fucking out. Stream Whatever Witch You Are for the first time below, and order yours via Dine Alone.
DEAD HEAVENS on TOUR
Jun. 14 — New Haven, CT @ Bar New Haven
Jun. 15 — Newport, RI @ The Parlor
Jun. 16 — Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
Jun. 17 — Garwood, NJ @ Crossroads
Jun. 18 — Washington, DC @ DC9 Nightclub
Jun. 19 — Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
Jul. 14 — San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
Jul. 15 — Los Angeles, CA @ Resident
Jul. 16 — San Jose, CA @ The Ritz
Jul. 18 — Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Lounge
Jul. 19 — Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
Jul. 20 —Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt