The Pendulum Swings
Fertile Crescent, 2026
9/10
The New Jersey rockers Deardarkhead return with their first album since 1998, where Kevin Harrington and Robert Weiss recruit a couple guests for the hazy 10 tracks.
“Flamethrower” opens with Weiss’ crisp drums and Brandon Howard’s mesmerizing bass before Harrington’s radiant guitar enters the flowing post-punk climate, and “Coming Undone” follows with the throbbing rhythm section complementing the swirling guitar dynamics.
In the middle, “Tears” is a gentle moment of dreamy qualities that are harmonic and heartfelt, while “Letting Go” recruits Joe Mcginty’s inimitable keys for the shoegaze influenced album highlight,.
“In Another Life” and the title track exit the listen. The former weaves in and out of pretty textures amid a hint of rugged, alt-rock nods, and the latter embraces dream-pop sensibilities via the meticulous interaction and bright layering.
A highly atmospheric comeback effort, Deardarkhead steer into experimentation and refinement, where growth and change are part of their dream-gaze formula that sounds great alongside Ride, Cocteau Twins, The Chameleons or Psychedelic Furs.
Travels well with: Black Rose Burning- The Fear Machine; Push Puppets- Tethered Together