The Deer
Sunday, June 5, 2022
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Austin, TX
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The songs are spacious — airy vocals float atop lovely, languid melodies and gentle percussion, adorned with softly-swelling synths and thoughtfully-plucked fiddle and mandolin. It's a sound that compels comparisons to both songwriting principals like Fleetwood Mac, Neko Case or Mazzy Star as well as indie folk contemporaries like Jade Bird, Haley Heynderickx, or Shannon Lay. The Deer have formed a breed of indie folk entirely uninhibited, all its own, and absolutely captivating.. From Austin, they are borne of a densely creative atmosphere, and stand out with their versatile and accessible sound. Members include frontwoman Grace Rowland (The Blue Hit), upright bassist Jesse Dalton (MilkDrive, Green Mountain Grass), guitarist Michael McLeod (Good Field, Linklater film composer), drummer Alan Eckert (Dimitri’s Ascent, A Live One), and string player Noah Jeffries (MilkDrive, South Austin Jug Band).
The Deer released Do No Harm November 1, 2019 on Keeled Scales / Secretly Distribution. The band share a home with the critically acclaimed indie label — Austin, Texas — where they've been honored by Austin Music Awards as Best Performing Folk Act and Runner Up: Best Austin Band. On the new LP, it's easy to hear why. Though genre-fluidity and sonic experimentation are at the core of The Deer's work, their new LP lays down distinction with a graceful thump — a beautiful, confident conclusion of audial explorations. You can hear where they've been, and where they're headed.