On The Gala, Brooklyn-based solo project Ded En merges doom, shoegaze, and slowcore into a stark meditation on what comes after grief.
Out July 18 on streaming platforms following its Bandcamp release on May 24, the 24-minute EP spans five tracks built from looped bass lines, crumbling textures, and minimalist arrangements. It’s a personal document—shaped by isolation, limitations, and emotional residue—created and recorded in a Crown Heights apartment.
Ded En, a reclusive producer and multi-instrumentalist, describes the EP not as a grief record, but as one about what follows. “You’re still here but things are different. You’ve changed, and so has the world. What do you do with that? That’s what I was writing into,” they explain. The themes of The Gala stem from personal loss and reflect a broader disorientation that resonates post-COVID. “I think a lot of people are sitting in that same place right now… even if the kind of loss was different.”
The project took shape after years of recording without releasing. “I probably had three albums’ worth of material on my hard drive, but only made things for myself and didn’t really think about putting them out,” they note. A friend’s encouragement, and collaborative sessions with visual artist and guitarist NONECK (of Ferocious Fucking Teeth), pushed the EP into the open.
NONECK appears on two tracks: with a solo on “Firecracker” and reversed vocals on “Voice Back.”
Musically, Ded En draws from doom and goth influences like Earth and Warning, but also pulls ideas from electronic music, particularly the layered chaos of Dan Deacon. “His stuff builds to this joyful chaos, and while this EP is slower and heavier, I wanted to capture that euphoric feeling too.”
The production is intentionally minimal. All tracks were recorded with a simple setup: Ableton, a budget interface, tube amp heads routed through load boxes, and tracked one layer at a time to avoid noise complaints. The instrumentation revolves around a custom three-part bass system: a fuzzy tone, a mistracked octave-up line, and a sub-bass that hits with the kick drum. “Together it sounds like that guitar player from Mad Max playing bass through organ pipes carved into a mountain.”
The tracklist opens with “March,” a lurching instrumental that sets the sonic tone. The rhythm sways unpredictably, “like pallbearers trying to keep a coffin steady on uneven ground.” “Firecracker” follows with a looping 4/4 pulse and layered narratives, on “Cousin,” Ded En reflects on family ties and drifting time, while “Voice Back” becomes the thematic hinge. Closing track “The Gala” offers a restrained catharsis.
For full track by track rundown, check out the artist’s commentary below.
March
An instrumental opener that sets the tone. It introduces the sonic palette: that three-octave bass sound rumbling underneath, with atmospheric guitars playing slightly off-kilter melodies over top. The time signature shifts throughout the song create a kind of wobbly marching rhythm, like pallbearers trying to keep a coffin steady on uneven ground.
Firecracker
It’s rhythmically straightforward, a steady 4/4 bassline and looping guitar create a very meditative feeling. Lyrically, it sketches three different people: someone who’s succeeding at work but unraveling under pressure, someone who’s broke and trying not to admit he’s in trouble, and me: “I sing softly from my bedroom / got my voice back / now I use it.” That line introduces the theme that gets explored more throughout the album. The song stays in that meditative spot until NONECK’s guitar solo rips through at the end and breaks everything open.
Cousin
This one is more chill and kind of nostalgic, it serves as a bit of a relief from the heaviness of the other tracks. It’s about family, my cousins, and how they stay familiar even as we’ve drifted apart over time. All that shared context, shared history. The first verses are about one cousin’s wedding, and the last is about others who come to New York every year to see Phish. I’ve never gone with them, but I’d like to sometime.
Voice Back
The thematic core of the record. It’s about the moment after the dust settles, when you’ve made it through something awful and are standing in the new version of your life. Do you recognize it? Do you recognize yourself? The lyrics circle: “I just got my voice back / pulled it from the vacuum / what to say.” That uncertainty is the heart of it.
The Gala
The closer, and the most celebratory track on the EP. It’s about honoring those we’ve lost while celebrating the ones who are still here. The refrain, “we’ll hold the greatest gala ever known” says forget all the noise, and celebrate what actually matters: being here together, now. Even if no one else sees it.
