There’s a brutal kind of beauty in finally accepting yourself — in staring down your reflection, flaws and all, and deciding to stop running from who you are. For James Veck-Gilodi, frontman and creative force behind Deaf Havana, that moment of reckoning has been a long time coming. It’s the lifeblood that runs through the band’s stunning new seventh album, We’re Never Getting Out, out now via So Recordings / Civilians.
Acceptance, honesty, and hard truth form the backbone of this record. Veck-Gilodi has spent years caught between extremes — self-doubt and success, elation and exhaustion, reinvention and relapse. Deaf Havana’s history is marked by those contrasts: Top 10 albums, sold-out tours, total breakdowns, and countless rebirths. But this time, James isn’t trying to please anyone. He’s not cosplaying as a version of himself to fit expectations. He’s finally writing — and living — for himself.
“I’ve always wanted to change myself,” he admits. “But I’ve also never really owned up to or accepted my mistakes. I just punished myself and tried to be someone I wasn’t. Now, I accept who I am and know how to make myself a good person.”
The turning point came in 2023 and 2024, a turbulent period that forced clarity. James and his brother Matt Veck-Gilodi scrapped a full body of work that felt hollow — a bold move for a band at their level. Then came the collapse of a marriage he’d long felt trapped in. The pain, the release, the fear of starting over — it all became the spark that set We’re Never Getting Out in motion.
The result is Deaf Havana at their most real and rejuvenated. The record threads the classic grit of British rock through a modern lens — fusing heart-on-sleeve storytelling with lush pop textures and experimental structures that pull the sound somewhere entirely new. Think Springsteen’s confessional spirit, Weezer’s vulnerability, and Bon Iver’s emotional intimacy, all smashed together into a sound that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking.
Contributions from Ross McDonald (The 1975) on bass and Freddie Sheed (Lewis Capaldi, Take That) on drums add weight and finesse to the mix — artists James once thought would never say yes. But this album is full of those moments: unexpected collaboration, fearless creativity, and emotional honesty.
We’re Never Getting Out isn’t just another Deaf Havana release — it’s a rebirth. A declaration of ownership over pain, identity, and purpose. It’s the sound of a man finally stepping out of the fog, ready to face the light — and the darkness — on his own terms.
🎧 Stream / Order: We’re Never Getting Out
📍 Artist: Deaf Havana
🏠 Hometown: England, UK
🎚️ Genre: Alternative Rock
📀 Label: So Recordings / Civilians
📆 Release Date: October 3, 2025
