How To Replace It. dEUS

dEUS is a band that shows how my taste in music changes. The first two albums were cheered by the world and I was thinking what is the fuzz about? I just heard musicians doing (too) difficult things, forgetting about decent melodies. And then came 'The Ideal Crash' and had a crush on the album, fast. Everything after never made the cut and became ever less interesting.

And then came How To Replace It. Yes, another slick album but with an intensity I was missing in the albums of the 00s and 10s. From the very first beginning of the new album my ears pricked up. What is going on here? A marching tempo, and more and more sounds and atmosphere stacked upon each other. Until a noise like a symphony orchestra going at it at full force comes from my speakers. dEUS got me and created the path into How To Replace It.

In 2023 the question who is dEUS?, is one that has to be asked. Without Tom Barman no dEUS but who else is in the band? The second member left from the original line is multi instrumentalist Klaas Janszoons. The other members, Alan Gevaert and Stéphane Misseghers are around since the mid 00s. Mauro Pawlowski returned full time.

Single '1989' is in part a token of how slick dEUS can sound today. The song is truly produced and well thought out. And, of star quality. The song may be polished until it shines, the result is a song of beauty giving Tom Barman not only the option to shine but also share his emotions from the days when he started the band as a teenager. Listen closer and you will notice how finely layered the track is. There's always another melody and sound that can be added, and fit perfectly. This is a band of talented musicians at work, with no fear to show what they can achieve.

So, what makes How To Replace it so different from 'Vantage Point' or 'Following Sea'? I can't tell, as I haven't listened to the band's most recent albums (all over 10 years old) for at least a decade. My memory tells me, I listened and wasn't pulled into the albums for one second and never got to the end and gave up after a few tries. Today the opposite happened. Just listen how exciting 'Simple Pleasures', song 8, is. How To Replace It is an album worth owning, to play quite often. It proves one must never give up on a band. Always try it out first and then form an opinion.

(P.S. Zita Swoon went the exact same route, except that I never lost attention with the albums that followed as I did with dEUS. I saw at least four shows through the years. dEUS zero.)

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order How To Replace It here:

https://deus.bandcamp.com/releases