Deafheaven

Deafheaven formed in February 2010 in San Francisco, California, as a two-piece project by vocalist George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy, who had previously played together in the grindcore band Rise of Caligula. They self-released a demo, expanded to a five-piece with bassist Derek Prine, guitarist Nick Bassett, and drummer Trevor Deschryver, and signed to Deathwish Inc., releasing their debut album Roads to Judah in April 2011. Pioneering the blackgaze sound by fusing black metal's intensity with shoegaze and post-rock atmospheres, Deafheaven earned critical acclaim for Sunbather in 2013, which topped year-end lists from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NPR, and Metacritic, while building a dedicated live following through relentless touring.