In a lot of ways, Deafheaven’s sophomore LP Sunbather became much more than an album after its release.
The pink-covered black metal record defined a new generation of listeners, both positively and negatively for metal fans at large. That cover wound up in strange places, including a major Apple presentation and a seemingly neverending mass of memes.
Today, the band announced they’re reissuing the massive record with a 10th-anniversary remix and remaster of the record, along with a host of pre-order options like (very cool) pocket t-shirts and longsleeves.
Maybe the wildest option of all is the actual Sunbather typeface. Designed by Touche Amore’s Nick Steinhardt, the typeface has been long copied and knocked off around the internet, and now they’re selling a license to the real deal.
Deathwish gives the following description of it:
Sunbather is a ‘beyond high contrast’ typeface originally designed by Nick Steinhardt for the now iconic 2013 Deafheaven album cover of the same name.
Referencing early 20th century experiments by Swiss typographer Jan Tschichold, Sunbather challenges your eye to infer what isn’t there. Sinewy curves meet sharp serifs to entrance the viewer’s gaze.
The regular weight stays true to the original font, while an added lowercase, diacritics, and stylistic alternates allow you to change terminal shapes or add in serifs that were purposefully omitted in the original.
Two new masters were drawn and interpolated from, a delicate ‘thin’ and a newly redrawn sturdy ‘black’ comprising a range of seven weights.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say this is probably the first time a typeface has been part of a pre-order package for an album. As strange as it may seem, it’s something fans have been clamoring for, for a while. Maybe a new wave of bands will start deploying it on their own covers.
Deafheaven also announced a massive tour with Touche Amore to celebrate the record. Check out the dates below, and pre-order the reissue here. Check out the remastered version of “Vertigo” below.
- November 26 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues ^
November 27 Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrews Hall ^
November 29 Philadelphia, PA @ TLA ^
November 30 Boston, MA @ Royale ^
December 2 Washington, DC @ Howard ^
December 3 New York, NY @ Knockdown Center ^
December 7 San Francisco, CA @ Regency ^
December 8 Los Angeles, CA @ Novo ^
December 13 Denver, CO @ Summit ^
December 16 Austin, TX @ Stubb’s ^
^ with Touche Amore