DEADLETTER – Songless Bird

DEADLETTER formed in Yorkshire in 2020 and have been moving fast ever since. Their debut Hysterical Strength (2024) drew comparisons to LCD Soundsystem, The Stranglers, Captain Beefheart and Can, with NME calling it “dark, ominous, irresistible and fun”. “Songless Bird” is the third single from their sophomore album Existence Is Bliss, out February 27 via So Recordings, following “To The Brim” and “It Comes Creeping”.

Where the debut leaned sharp and angular, “Songless Bird” opens with more space. Guitars that cut less brightly but lose nothing in urgency, a tight rhythm section, and Zac Lawrence’s voice doing something between spoken word and melodic outburst — theatrical without being mannered. The band are calling it a new era, and the production backs that up: more sophisticated, more room between the parts, but the energy still sits just beneath the surface. Lawrence’s raw vocal holds it together throughout.

Lyrically it’s about what happens when you keep things locked in. “Withholding that which haunts you, that which torments you, that which cripples, is no conducive means to a healthy existence”, Lawrence says. “After all, existence ought to be bliss?” The title says it plainly: a bird without a song has lost the thing that makes it what it is.

To mark the album release on February 27, the band are doing a Camden pub crawl — three live sets across Fiddlers Elbow, The Elephant’s Head and The Good Mixer, starting at 1pm. After that, a 40-date UK and European tour kicks off in March, headlining KOKO in London on May 15 and supporting David Byrne in Athens on June 21.

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Tracklist:

1. Purity I
2. To The Brim
3. Songless Bird
4. It Comes Creeping
5. What The World Missed
6. Cheers!
7. Among Us
8. Focal Point
9. (Back To) The Scene of the Crime
10. Frosted Glass
11. He Himself And Him
12. Meanwhile in a Parallel

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Tour Dates:

Europe:

• March 8 – Bielefeld, Germany – Forum (Rescheduled)
• March 12 – Hanover, Germany – Cafe Glocksee (Rescheduled)
• March 13 – Leipzig, Germany – UT Connewitz (Rescheduled)
• March 14 – Berlin, Germany – Neue Zukunft
• March 15 – Prague, Czech Republic – Café V lese
• March 16 – Vienna, Austria – Chelsea
• March 18 – Munich, Germany – Strom
• March 19 – Zurich, Switzerland – Exit
• March 21 – Bologna, Italy – Covo
• March 22 – Rome, Italy – Wishlist
• March 23 – Milan, Italy – Arci Bellezza
• March 25 – Cologne, Germany – Artheater
• March 26 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
• March 27 – Groningen, Netherlands – Vera
• March 28 – Hamburg, Germany – Molotow
• March 30 – Lille, France – Aéronef
• March 31 – Nantes, France – Stereolux
• April 2 – Le Havre, France – Le Tetris
• April 4 – Schijndel, Netherlands – Paaspop
• April 7 – Brussels, Belgium – AB Box
• April 8 – Paris, France – Trebendo
• April 9 – Bordeaux, France – Rock School Barbey
• April 10 – Bilbao, Spain – Kafe Antzoki
• April 11 – Vigo, Spain – Masterclub
• April 13 – Cádiz, Spain – Edificio Constitución 1812
• April 14 – Madrid, Spain – Villanos
• April 15 – Valencia, Spain – 16 Toneladas
• April 16 – Zaragoza, Spain – Sala Lopez
• April 17 – Barcelona, Spain – Barcelona Psych Fest
• April 19 – Istanbul, Turkey – Blind
• June 21 – Athens, Greece – SNF Nostos (w/ David Byrne)
• July 16-18 – Benicassim, Spain – Benicassim Festival

United Kingdom:

• May 7 – Bristol, UK – Trinity Centre
• May 8 – Leeds, UK – The Wardrobe
• May 9 – Manchester, UK – Projeckts Skate Park
• May 15 – London, UK – Koko
• May 16 – Sheffield, UK – Get Together
• June 3 – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, UK – The Grove
• June 4 – Glasgow, UK – The Arts School
• June 5 – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
• July 26 – Southwold, UK – Henham Park