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Album reviews Music

>>> Deerhunter

After seven years in the indie rock public eye, when Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox calmly repeats, “I’m living my life” for 30 seconds straight, it feels like a declaration. The enigmatic songwriter sounds at ease on seventh album Fading Frontier, especially compared to the harsh grittiness of 2013’s Monomania. In fact, on Leather And Wood, one of the quietest tracks, Cox croons, “I believe we will find that elusive peace” before the song devolves into an anti-noisy breakdown where Cox’s voice fades in and out over a clunky, alien-like synth line.

Serenity is further captured on breezy single Breaker, a chill pop song with dreamy, Real Estate-esque vocal harmonies between Cox and guitarist Lockett Pundt, the first time they’ve sung together on a Deerhunter track. Fading Frontier has funkier, abrupt moments, too, like on single Snakeskin, but even then Cox is in complete control emotionally. In terms of brightness and accessibility, the album feels like an extension of their breakout record, 2008’s Microcastle. Yet it’s clear the band has matured in the intervening years – and they’re better for it.

Top track: Breaker

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