There's a lot on the new one from Dehd, Water, out on Friday via Fire Talk, to make indie fans smile. And if you were a follower of NE-HI, whose 2017 album was a big favorite of mine, you'll be pleased to know that Jason Balla from that band is at work here in Dehd. He's joined by Emily Klempf and Eric McGrady and, together, the three make a sort of skewed lo-fi rock that recalls everything from Syd Barrett to The Shaggs.
"Lucky" is ebullient and buoyant, while "Happy Again" and "Baby" offer up a kind of hiccup-y alt-rock that simultaneously suggests both Buddy Holly and Beat Happening. This is simple, simplistic, stuff, and lots of it charms by being so. "Do You" is a bit drone-y in the style of The Velvet Underground, even as "Push The Crowd" is more propulsive and spindly, flashes of C86-stuff showing through the seams here. Elsewhere, "Long Way Home" works up a nice riff that's close to sides from The Modern Lovers, while the bright closer, "Water", recalls NE-HI and even something like those early, shorter singles from Built to Spill. Dehd make all of this work, and rarely do any of the band's influences entirely determine the course of the material here on Water.
Water is out on Friday via Fire Talk.
More details on Dehd via the band's official website.
[Photo: Alexa Viscius]