For James Veck-Gilodi, the frontman of Deaf Havana, pretending to be someone else has been a coping mechanism for years. But now, with the band’s seventh album We’re Never Getting Out set to drop October 3rd via So Recordings, he’s finally stepping into the light—and dragging Deaf Havana with him. The new single “Hurts To Be Lonely” marks the start of a bold, unfiltered chapter for a band that’s weathered Top 10 chart success, breakups, rebirths, and breakdowns.
James has spent most of Deaf Havana’s career trying to live up to expectations—fans’, the industry’s, and most painfully, his own. After scrapping an entire album and ending a long-standing relationship, he started to rebuild from the ground up. The result is their most honest and forward-thinking material to date, capturing the ache of loneliness, addiction, and the internal tug-of-war of self-worth. “Hurts To Be Lonely,” a track so emotionally raw it nearly broke the band in the studio, deals with the isolating spiral of lying about sobriety and pushing people away. Yet it’s also beautiful in its vulnerability—a theme that runs through the whole album.
Produced in part with George Glew, and featuring performances from Ross McDonald of The 1975 and Freddie Sheed (Lewis Capaldi, Take That), We’re Never Getting Out blends British rock grit with lush pop ambition. Think Springsteen drama meets Bon Iver intimacy, with the occasional Weezer chaos thrown in for good measure. James calls it the best work he’s ever done—and it’s hard to disagree.
For a band that once dreaded the stage, the studio, and everything in between, this is more than a comeback. It’s a clean slate with nothing left to prove. And that makes We’re Never Getting Out the most alive Deaf Havana has ever sounded
