REVIEW: The Pendulum Swings, Pop Fantasma

July 22, 2026 | Ricardo Schott

We Hear: Deardarkhead - ‘The Pendulum Swings’

Rating: 8.5

After 25 years, Deardarkhead returns as an instrumental act, transforming classic shoegaze into melody-rich guitar work that seems to hint at hidden lyrics.

New Jersey shoegaze group Deardarkhead has returned with a very different sound on their third album, *The Pendulum Swings*. For starters, the band—originally a quartet—lost vocalist Michael Amper in 2009; consequently, the new trio plays exclusively instrumental music (!).

Today, the band consists of Kevin Harrington (guitar), Robert Weiss (drums), and James Malizia (bass; he joined the trio after the new album was completed). Another detail is that they hadn't released anything new in 25 years: their previous album, *Oceanside*, came out in 2021.

In reality, the sound of *The Pendulum Swings* ends up resembling projects where vocal-heavy material is reimagined as instrumentals—where the music itself casts a "shadow" of the lyrics. This isn't instrumental music built on ambient soundscapes or endless solos; Deardarkhead embodies the early shoegaze sound, heavily echoing the style of Ride’s debut album, *Nowhere* (1990). "Flamethrower," the opening track, begins with the same stray cymbal hit found in "Seagull"—the psychedelic opener of *Nowhere*—but quickly gains groove, heaviness, and a near-Zeppelin-esque riff.

Riffs reminiscent of Ride, the *Leisure*-era Blur (1990), and Joey Santiago’s guitar work with the Pixies alternate across tracks like the post-punk-tinged "Coming Undone," "Tomorrowland," "In Another Life," and "Tears"—the latter featuring a looping bassline and tension-building guitar work. Echoes of The Stone Roses surface in the brisk "Sad Songs (And Better Days)" and in "A Thanksgiving."

There are even connections to the 1987-era Echo & the Bunnymen in "Letting Go," and to early U2—the latter evident in the martial "Black Pearls"—as well as a touch of experimentalism in the oscillating sway of the title track. One might even find oneself thinking, "Imagine all this with lyrics and vocals!" yet the real charm lies in the imagination that Deardarkhead’s music sparks.

https://popfantasma.com.br/deardarkhead-the-pendulum-swings/