Rock band Deaf Havana have been making music for nearly a decade, with five studio albums in their back pockets. But after a challenging couple of years, brothers and bandmates Matty and James were no longer talking and ready to close the door on making music. Before they parted ways, they decided to write one more song, which quickly turned into a whole new album. They told us about overcoming addiction and why dogs really are the best.
Recording their first album as a duo has brought the brothers back together and The Present is a Foreign Land is a reflection on the last couple of years. Deaf Havana’s latest record is catchy and cathartic, and their sound has evolved across six studio albums, now a little simpler in style but not in the topics it raises.
A lot can change in ten years, but it’s not just the band’s haircuts that are different. It’s a new era for Deaf Havana, musically and personally. The pair had drifted apart and while singer James was working on getting sober, guitarist Matty was working on one last song. Matty says:
“At the start of 2021 we were ready to draw a line under everything. I’d been writing a few songs and there was one in particular that I thought would work really well. I sent it to James and it was our first contact in over a year. We got together to record it and about four weeks later we had the twelve tracks that make up the record that’s coming out in July.”