ANCHR's Artist of the Week: Dehd

Photo by Alexa Viscius

I mean, seriously…Can we just get these vaccines moving already!?  Dehd released Flowers of Devotion last summer and I haven’t been able to rock with all the new songs in a live setting yet. Like many others, I was looking forward to their set at Pitchfork Music Festival, but of course the ol’ Rona had to stick her nose in our business and ruin everything.  Luckily, I've seen them once before at an “In The Round” show at Thalia Hall so that’s been able to hold me over for now.  Once live music is back though, I highly recommend checking out their performance if they hit a stage near you. Unless you’re one of those people that doesn’t enjoy dancing, good music, and feeling good. If you identify as such, then please stay away— but even then, Dehd is a great band for anyone since they tend to take serious subjects and place them in fun, groovy melodies.

Dehd is a trio out of the Windy City composed of Jason Balla, Emily Kempf, and Eric McGrady. They have three albums to their name and have also found themselves on “Perez’s Best” annual CD mix for the last two years (if you know, you know).  Balla and Kempf were previously in a romantic relationship during the early years of the band, but thankfully their songwriting partnership didn’t die when the romance did. Instead, they continued to hit us with bangers and keep making the people happy. 

If this is the first time you are ever hearing of Dehd, their album Flowers of Devotion is a great album to start with, but don’t sleep on their self-titled debut or 2019’s Water either. I dare all readers when listening to “Haha” or “Loner” to not groove with the music. It’s just not possible.

Be sure to also check out the amusing music videos that the band has released for their recent singles, and snag your own copy of their newest record here.

PREMIERE: "Underwater/Outerspace" Music Video by Sugarpulp

Today we’re pleased to share the premiere of the brand new music video for “Underwater/Outerspace” by Chicago’s own Sugarpulp.

Translating their sound from audio to video was a challenge that inspired Sugarpulp and music video director, Kevin Pickman. But the main goal was to have some fun. “When the band and I started discussing the aesthetic, we wanted something that was visually eerie and psychedelic but also didn’t take itself too seriously,” said Pickman. “Our main goal was to have fun with costumes and science fiction tropes.” Sugarpulp singer Deb Chesterman agreed. “Building the costumes and the storyline was like being a kid again and putting on a play for your parents.” To help them play dress-up, Aro Farmilant created the set and costumes. “Dreaming this universe into existence with the group was definitely mind-altering…there’s an ether of infinite possibilities to Underwater/Outerspace.”  Developing a visual world with musical elements posed another challenge to the band’s process. “We all got to use our creativity in ways that don’t manifest directly into music,” said Chesterman. Pickman’s storyline supported this process by combining plot with aesthetic. “I incorporated an idea my brother and I created for a graphic novel: a heartbroken woman travels to another dimension to steal the identity of her parallel self to continue a relationship she had lost.” In the world of Sugarpulp, anything is possible.

Get your first look at the music video below, and keep up with Sugarpulp on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram. The band will also be hosting a release show for the music video at Demons on Damen this Friday, January 31st-details here.

ANCHR's Artist of the Day: Accessory

If you’re in tune with the Chicago music scene, you’re likely already familiar with musician Jason Balla’s projects Dehd, Earring, and the no longer active NE-HI. Balla’s latest musical endeavor comes in the form of his lo-fi solo project: Accessory. Under the Accessory moniker, Balla released the track “Eyes for Berlin” this past Monday, as a follow up to the 2018 album Blue Tape. Balla describes the sensation of finding a new perspective in a familiar setting in the song— “It's about finding new eyes. Seeing the old and everyday that has become the background of my life with a fresh sense of wonder.”

The new music arrived just before a hometown headline gig at The Empty Bottle on Thursday, January 16th. With a live line up that will feature members of Bunny, Deeper, Grapetooth, The Hecks, Twin Peaks, and V.V. Lightbody, this Accessory show will certainly deliver a fresh perspective of some of Chicago’s finest musicians that we’ve all come to know and love. Tune into “Eyes For Berlin” below, and grab your tickets to see Accessory with Tenci and Products tonight here.