Dehd – Flower of Devotion

Limited color vinyl LP pressing. Includes sticker. 2020 release. ‘I want nothing more than to be alone,’ Emily Kempf sings early on Flower of Devotion, the third album by Chicago trio Dehd. It’s a startling admission coming from a songwriter who, just a year ago on Dehd’s critically acclaimed Water, wrote eloquently about the joys and pains ‘ more than anything, the necessity ‘ of love, compassion, and companionship. But then, ‘admission’ isn’t really the right word here, given the stridency of Kempf’s tone. ‘Loner’ is a declaration. The record ups the ante on Dehd’s sound and filters in just enough Polish to bring out the shining and melancholy undertones in Jason Balla and Emily Kempf’s songwriting, even as it captures them at their most strident.