Death From Above 1979 are back with a new single, “Freeze Me,” offering the first taste of the album that will follow up their comeback sophomore album The Physical World. The new album, which as-of-yet has had no information released, is expected to be released on Warner Brothers like its predecessor. The song was debuted on MistaJam’s BBC Radio 1 show today. In the interview they joked that “it won’t be 10 years” before the band releases a new album, references the long period of time between their debut and Physical World. According to Consequence of Sound, the band will from now on be known as Death From Above. They were originally known by that moniker before being issued a cease and desist by popular label DFA in 2004.
“Freeze Me” finds the band stepping further away from the metallic leanings of their debut album, You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, though there is a certainly level of intensity that ramps up for the climactic third minute of the song. In many ways “Freeze Me” finds the band becoming a more commercially-viable entity. However, instead of going full modern rock or dance pop on the track, DFA 1979 retain a level of the aesthetic that made them an underground commodity in the first place. It’s a fine line to tread between losing that original appeal and evolving into a new sound; bassist/keyboardist Jesse Keeler and drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger make a strong effort with the new song. Click here to hear the song.
The song opens with a frantic piano line before a rock-radio-ready guitar riff bursts into the mix. The two elements churn together with a shifting disco beat, shifting into the disco-metal stomp that helped make “Romantic Rights” and “Blood On Our Hands” touchstones of a very specific time in indie rock history.
UPDATE (6/9): A visualizer has been released for the new Death From Above single. See it below:
UPDATE (6/14): A new video has been released for “Freeze Me”:
Photo Credit: Marisa Rose Ficara
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