Deer Park – Deer Park

Deer Park seems like an odd name for a band to me, given that it’s also the name of the estate I live in. It is also, I am told, the name of the school Dan Mangan went to, spookily enough. Besides these intriguing coincidences, it’s also rather less surprisingly the name of the debut album by the band. Deer Park (and Deer Park) came to our attention through their connection to Paul Megna of The Oxygen Ponies, whose second album I recently declared rather good. Megna makes a guest appearance on one of the tracks, along with bandmate Randi Russo. Mark Hamilton of Woodpigeon also pokes his head round the door to make a contribution, demonstrating the far-reaching connections of this London-based band.

Musically, Deer Park are definitely to be largely filed alongside both The Oxygen Ponies and Dan Mangan. This is ramshackle, folky rock. The album is divided between upbeat, rockier tracks and more melancholic numbers, complete with brushed drums and gentle guitar, but sometimes those two poles cross over each other, as on closer “Nails” which seems like an odd place to start but is undoubtedly a highlight due to the cathartic explosion which ends the record. Naturally, the upbeat rock songs are likely to be the ones which most listeners will become attuned to first, especially “Waiting on a Change”, Megna and Russo’s appearance. The song is a real adrenaline rush, a carefree flitting from location to location, like Texarkana and the “grey island” that is Britain. Other songs that will appeal quickly include “Just Because We’re Running” which has a monster of a chorus juxtaposed with a witty lyric. It’s a wonderfully written song.

As the songs get more downbeat, they become less immediately likeable, but thankfully they have enough weight and wit to them to gradually unfurl and to become potential highlights in their own right, like in the case of the sad but clever lyrics of “Strange”. There’s a real sleepy, world-weary feel to much of this album, especially in these quieter, more melancholic songs. “Spanish Movies” is a good example, with its hypnotic, looping guitar phrase and languid vocals – “just because you’ve been smashed for days / doesn’t mean everything’s stopped”. There’s a recurring theme of dope and drink as solace from the world, countered by a determination to get up and do something, to see the world without the haze of numbness. Some albums might depict the process in a linear way through tracklisting – for example, from numbness to living, or the other way round. Deer Park, however, have chosen to use a sort of cut-up technique, meaning the album lurches between its two modes freely, leaving the moral of the stories up to the listener to decide. It’s an enjoyable ride though – as rough round the edges and tumultuous as life itself.

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[mp3] Deer Park – “Waiting on a Change”