English band Deaf Havana had taken further steps with their record All These Countless Nights. Released in 2017, it was a departure from their acoustic, folky roots, and it was instantly liked by their infatuated fanbase. Such a memorable record, with many songs describing nights lost in a pint glass, nights spent trying to piece together shattered memories. There was not a bad song on this collection, and that showed Deaf Havana’s meticulous planning and their technical abilities as musicians.

Lyrically, the album was their best. Lead singer James-Veck Gilodi sang with intent and authority, telling his stories of hardship through guitar driven songs, tracks bursting with flair, and intensity. His abilities were on show fully here, and he instilled within the songs a lyrical swagger. Musically, the acoustics were still there, bur the band focused more on the electric guitar and they pulled it off majestically.

Story driven music is what Deaf Havana was known for. Telling fables through their intense songs and pushing the poetic note to the summit. And All These Countless Nights was the pinnacle of their careers, a collection of songs that may have been understated somewhat, but they were still full bloodied enough to count.  

Every song meant something. Every chime and lyric meant something to the listener. Gilodi didn’t just heap his lyrical talent on these tracks, he sprinkled them in loosely, and they became lyrics to confide in. Songs such as Trigger and Fever boasted so much angst, but didn’t get chipped away in the storm of hard-hitting guitar work. All these songs had become memorable staples, songs many people would sit and listen to when the world weighed a ton, when every good action was suppressed.

All These Countless Nights wasn’t a record swathed in happiness. It was an album truly telling stories of bad days, drunken dirges, and hopeless abandonment. Although it may have been a collection solemn in its output, it still kept the inspiration alive.