Brooklyn's Dead Leaf Echo is a music/art collective that released their debut LP Thought and Language in 2013. That premier album was strongly influenced by many 4AD acts, brought into sharp focus by the mixing of John Fryer (Lush, NIN, Depeche Mode) and featuring artwork by 4ADs legendary designer, V23's Vaughan Oliver (Pixies, Bauhaus), which further enhanced their strong aesthetic connections to that label. The band maintains a distinctive ethos--embracing their idols, while still forging their own sound.
Their second LP, Beyond Desire, coming October 13th via Papercup Music finds them working with legendary My Bloody Valentine engineer Guy Fixsen (MBV, WIRE) and Jorge Elbreht (Ariel Pink, No Joy, Frankie Rose, Violens, Lansing-Drieden) with artwork from Timothy O’Donnell (another 4AD design alumni) at Mexican Summer's Gary's Electric studio in Greenpoint. The new record finds them exploring something much more than bands within their sphere typically strive for - it's introspection leavened with human connectedness and higher arching themes of maturation and growth that transcend the basic needs of lust and want. This record comes far closer to approximating their live show, with a scorching sound that is often volatile, rife with damaged guitar deconstructions and gleaming figures, yet maintains their eminently melodic sensibilities. Beyond Desire, shifts from shimmering to scorching at the drop of a hat held together by rock solid songwriting. By moving between both ends of the spectrum, the eleven tracks on Beyond Desire function both as blissed-out, resplendent expository narratives, and also as pure, white-noise nihilism.
Both their live performances and album, replete with gorgeous packaging and artwork, are crucial entry points to understanding the band. DLE has done multiple national tours over the past three years resulting in over 200 shows and taking them to SXSW, CMJ, NXNE, Northside Festival and everywhere inbetween. Previous tours and SXSW bills included The Jeusus and Mary Chain, Swervedriver, A Place to Bury Strangers, The Ocean Blue, The Warlocks, Modern English, The Wedding Present & Trail Of the Dead. They're also veterans of the Desert Stars festival, sharing a bill with the Lemonheads and opening for Lou Barlow in the Joshua Tree desert in 2016. They've toured the East with Slumberland bands Weekend and Lorelei, and on the West Coast with Beach Fossils and the Telescopes at The Echo. They played a festival in 2011 with the Psychedelic Furs as well as sold out shows in 2010 opening for the then recently reunited Chapterhouse and Ulrich Schnauss.
They’ve constantly topped the CMJ Top 20 indie charts, have played twice live on the venerable KEXP's John in the Morning, and were recently featured as song of the day, while simultaneously on regular rotation on KEXP, and have also been featured on Nic Harcourt's KCSN show Morning Becomes Electric.
