Deadletter – ‘Existence is Bliss’ album review: Post-punks offer a sophomore too afraid to take off
With their new sophomore LP, Existence is Bliss, out via So Recordings, south London via Yorkshire post-punks Deadletter seek to clamour at life’s deeper meanings and lofty purpose in an age of tempting complacency.
The Skinny: There was always a spike of drama in Deadletter’s indie shroud. Swirling around 2024’s Hysterical Strength debut, a kind of skulking gutter pop was artfully brewed by the six-piece that never wandered into realms of greying drain or moody ennui. Amid its pub punk bluster was a romantic seizure of the senses, the band not afraid of an anthemic air or stirring crescendo.
Existence is Bliss offers more of the same, albeit with an expanded genre grab bag. Choppy indie riffs float and bob aside Nathan Pigott’s seamy saxophone honk, a driving beat and electronic smatter somehow eye up the dancefloor, and frontman Zac Lawrence maintains his role as lyrical reporter on the contemporary pitfalls of social passivity.
What’s conjured by Deadletter’s intriguing mishmash goes some way in crafting a tangled and knotty affair shining with ambition.
Trouble is, the lads never quite arrive at the fractious drama they’re certainly heading for. Too much of Existence is Bliss dwells in sonic ground that feels indistinguishable from the surrounding tracks, shuffling about in the same corner with limited sense for how to wield their six-man promise to wider pastures.
Then there’s the lack of punch. Aside from the standout numbers like ‘Songless Bird’ and ‘Focal Point’, rarely does Existence is Bliss ever reveal a real payoff. Deadletter tease a groove, a swelling jazz float, or a slithering keyboard line, but the hints only ever stay at water treading over arriving at somewhere their post-punk swagger points to.
Such frustrations gnaw all the way through Existence is Bliss, a record that sees Deadletter take a cocksure aim at their many eclectic genre targets but just miss the bullseye every time.
The Verdict: While packing all kinds of promise, Deadletter have delivered a sophomore album that flexes all the right post-punk posture and thematic grapple, but is missing vital guts and fire in its belly.
Standout track: ‘Focal Point’
Release Date: February 27th, 2026 | Producer: Ben Romans-Hopcraft | Label: So Recordings
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.