In a year where it’s hard to celebrate virtually anything, Deafheaven are commemorating their 10th anniversary virtually by releasing Ten Years Gone: A live album recorded in the studio with material dating back to that fateful demo, together with classic tracks from the rest of their discography, up to their Grammy-nominated Ordinary Corrupt Human Love. The eight tracks, originally intended to be their setlist for a now-postponed tour with Inter Arma, remind fans that while records like Sunbather are important monuments to an era, the Calfornia band’s core competency is on the live stage. 

“I think it was people’s openness to the demo—its sound, the visuals, the mystery of how it was presented—and its path through the blog community that really helped us get to a point where we could play shows, be in front of people and grow,” recalls frontman George Clarke about their humble beginnings. “That connection, playing shows, was the only ambition we ever had. It remains the most gratifying part of this experience.” 

And with shows on hiatus, Deafheaven have left us the next best thing in Ten Years Gone. In celebration of the release, each member of Deafheaven have picked a pair of releases that have meant a great deal to them in the past few months, including during the recording of Ten Years Gone.

Full feature on Bandcamp