Deerhunter Songs Ranked

Deerhunter is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 2001. The band currently consists of Bradford Cox (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Moses Archuleta (drums, electronics, sound treatments), Lockett Pundt (guitar, vocals, keyboards), Josh McKay (bass), and Javier Morales (keyboards, synthesizers, alto saxophone). Founded by Cox and Archuleta, Deerhunter’s first stable line-up included guitarist Colin Mee and bass guitarist Justin Bosworth. After recording a split EP with Alphabets, Bosworth died on March 29, 2004, of head injuries suffered during a skateboarding accident. He was 23 years old. The band recorded their first studio album, Turn It Up Faggot (2005), with Josh Fauver occupying the vacant role of a bass guitarist. Following the album’s release, Cox asked childhood friend, Lockett Pundt, to join Deerhunter as a song-writing partner, second guitarist, and occasional lead vocalist. Deerhunter has described itself as “ambient punk,” though they incorporate a wide range of genres, including noise, garage rock, art rock, as well as significant pop elements. Here are all of Deerhunter’s songs ranked.

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10. He Would Have Laughed (Halcyon Digest, 2010)

“I take this song as their own personal tribute to Jay, that he would have laughed at his tribute. I see a definite tribute to Jay in the style of the lyrics, and speculate that may be what he would’ve laughed at. The style is very similar to Jay’s lyrics and a bit of a departure from Deerhunter’s. Another speculation is that the references to growing bored as he grows old may be that Jay expressed that to them, and that’s why they emphasize the line.”

9. Never Stops (Weird Era Cont., 2008)

“In the next song, Never Stops: “I had dreams that frightened me awake, I happened to escape, but my escape, would never come” is just repeating the same thing. The lyrics touch me like no other album ever has. To cox, life was never able to be anything greater than getting older.”

8. Spring Hall Convert (Cryptograms, 2007)

“I think the beginning lyrics of this song (so i woke up…) serve to show the listener that the beginning “drone” section of the album is about to end and the listener will wake up to a new, more poppy section.”

7. Agoraphobia (Weird Era Cont., 2008)

“In an interview, Bradford said this song was inspired by something fictional he saw about someone wanting to be buried alive, but nursed constantly so he was always on the edge of death”

See more: Deerhunter Albums Ranked

6. T.H.M. (Monomania, 2013)

“Occasionally we see glimpses of this dark reality, like in T.H.M., where Cox discusses the mental ailment that comes about after a traumatizing incident regarding a close brother.”

5. Helicopter (Halcyon Digest, 2010)

“A truly touching foray into the depth of human weariness. This song conveys such a deep sense of aching, of longing. Beautiful and wrenching…easily one of the best songs of the 2010’s so far.”

4. Nothing Ever Happened (Weird Era Cont., 2008)

“This is just about the best guitar track I know. As a band I feel they have such a subdued character, but Nothing Ever Happened breaks that open into straight-up bliss. Please recommend me psychedelic songs with similar levels of energy”

See more: The Best Albums of 2010

3. Monomania (Monomania, 2013)

“Bradford said that when he wrote this song he had in mind a woman who has kids, gets left by her husband, raises the kids as best she can, they grow to resent her and don’t talk to her, she works a crappy job at Wal-mart, and one day gets hit by a Mack truck and dies. Hence, “Nothing ever happened to me”.”

2. The Missing (Monomania, 2013)

“Monomania also has its fair share of more soothing songs, but even these seem much more earthbound than the music from Deerhunter’s past. Guitarist Lockett Pundt’s ‘The Missing’ serves as the album’s dreamiest moment, bearing a resemblance to the more chiming and hypnotic material of Pundt’s Lotus Plaza side project.”

1. Desire Lines (Halcyon Digest, 2010)

“The verses create a really tense feeling while being consistently well written and catchy. The whole section of the song from cymbal crash into the guitar outro is perfect and it gives me chills every time I hear it. The outro itself has so many twists and turns and ups the tense feeling to an 11 while being really quite dreamy. Kind of like taking a leisurely stroll through a lackadaisical nightmare. Gotta be one of the best rock songs of the decade if not the best.”