Bad Copy

Full disclosure here: There’s one person who handles 90% of the news posts on this site and it’s me. And for the last few months, I have been slogging my way through my last semester of grad school, which put me behind on all the major life things like work, Bad Copy posts, eating, and sleeping. So there’s a handful of posts that came in that we never got to share. But the bands totally deserve their spotlight, even if it’s a few months late and no longer ‘breaking’ news. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be catching up on older posts of amazing bands putting out great music. This is one of those posts. Enjoy! – Kendra

A few months ago, Minneapolis, MN’s Dead History released their much-anticipated sophomore LP, Departures, via Landland Colportage. The quintet turned heads with their 2021 self-titled debut album which combined all the best elements of post-hardcore, emo, and shoegaze revival.

Featuring current/former members of Gratitude, Align, Picturesque, Floodplain, Rad Owl, Reach, Story of the Sea, The Book of Dead Names, and many more, Dead History’s combined pedigree runs deep in Midwestern punk, hardcore, and indie rock circles.

Vocalist Brad Senne shared the following:

“There is a wide variety of moods [on Departures]. The emphasis on dynamics is much more pronounced. The songs are more cinematic, more expansive, more ambitious—and there’s a greater focus on melody and harmony throughout. We definitely set out to not repeat ourselves, and to go above and beyond the genres we’re typically associated with. That said, I think those who dug the first record will have plenty to be stoked about.”

Drummer David Jarnstrom added:

“We really wanted to explore the full spectrum of what was available to us with a singer as versatile as Brad  Brad can howl to the point where you think your eardrums just might explode, but he can also make you break down and cry in his more tender moments. Departures contains our most beautiful and our most intense material—sometimes all in the same song. There’s moments where you can hear a pin drop, and times when it sounds like a jet engine taking off.”

Dead History once again tapped Jacob Carlson (Motion City Soundtrack) to mix Departures, and also to record drums and bass at Defhaus Studios in Lauderdale, MN. Kris Johnson (Jayhawks, Soul Asylum) engineered vocals at Blue Moon Studios in St. Paul, MN, while Eric Olsen (Dillinger Four) tracked guitars at NoWare Media in downtown Minneapolis, MN. David Gardner (Rocket From the Crypt, The Hold Steady) mastered Departures in Los Angeles, CA.

Stream the new album in full below and grab your copy on limited edition vinyl today via Bandcamp!