“Eyes Closed” initiates with the sound of off-white noise, a fragile rumble that opens the track’s seams and makes room for it to grow into something much more sinister. The song is an exploration of various tiers of dreaming consciousness: “I’m not awake, I’ve got my eyes closed/ I’m sleepwalking, with my eyes closed.” Deaf Wish introduced us to their dissonant brand of skittish punk back in 2014 when they released their Sub Pop debut EP, St. Vincent’s. Now, the Melbourne-based quartet has announced their LP Pain, which is set to drop in August. There’s a certain sense of spontaneity to this debut single, suggesting that Deaf Wish formulate their songs in short, sharp moments of inspiration. Guitarist Jensen Tjhung said the following about the band’s approach to songwriting:

It’s a simple thing… Simple takes the worry out of it. If we try to step it up and go sideways, it just doesn’t seem to work. But we’ve grown up and been through some shit. To get to this point you have to bust through a few walls. It’s easy to be new, and I think, in the end, this is what it is. When you put these people in the room, it’s Deaf Wish.

Listen to “Eyes Closed” below.

Pain tracklist:

01 “The Whip”
02 “Newness Again”
03 “They Know”
04 “Sunset’s Fool”
05 “Eyes Closed”
06 “Pain”
07 “Sex Witch”
08 “On”
09 “Dead Air”
10 “Calypso

Pain is out 8/7 via Sub Pop. Pre-order it at Sub Pop, iTunes, Amazon, or Bandcamp.