Dehd’s stripped-down but mighty set conquers NON-COMM

Dehd rocked it on the second night at WXPN’s NON-COMMvention. This Chicago trio brought a storm of sounds heavy enough no one could miss it. With a setup that’s stripped down but mighty— think a snare, tom, and a drum pad — Eric McGrady kept things tight and pulsing, giving their music a rad 80s vibe. They churned out this mix of surf rock, indie, and post-punk that had the crowd absolutely vibing.

Emily Kempf and Jason Balla totally owned the stage. Emily’s not just singing; she’s commanding the room with a voice that’s like Bruce meets Cyndi—yep, that good! Jason’s guitar work? Was so groovy the audience couldn’t sit still. Together, they’re a force, stomping on every inch of that stage to Eric’s beats.

Their tunes “Bad Love” and “Window” were total standouts. “Bad Love” had Emily showing off her vocal chops and amazing range, while “Window” cranked up the grit. And don’t even get me started on “Loner”— it’s an anthem about being cool with just being you, with Eric layering in all these slick sounds on his drum pad.

They’ve got this new album coming out, Poetry, that drops Friday. On this new LP, they are focusing on mixing up their sound. As if their single’s name, “Mood Ring,” isn’t telling enough, the song takes you on a sonic roller coaster, and it was a blast to hear live. Their sound is a fuzzy, catchy surf punky mix of instrumental layering with lyrics that sticks with you. It stuck with the audience tonight; walking out of the Lounge, all you could hear were people raving about their performance.

You better watch out because Dehd is making waves, we are in for a ‘flood’ of even more new songs from the upcoming album. They’ve got a unique spark that’s just infectious—new fans or old, you can’t help but get pulled into their rhythm.