It’s hard not to drift into obscure, fever dream-like thoughts when describing Albuquerque atmospheric metal band Distances. It’s probably because guitarist and vocalist Karl Deuble, drummer Pete Hague and bassist Dustin Casteel create music that’s impossible to place neatly into a box, no matter what label you slap onto the mysterious container. It’s more of an adventure to jump into their catalogue without expectations and enjoy an ear-shattering trek through the six records they’ve released since 2011. (It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years since they debuted with The Second Attempt Of Icarus.) Distances is unmistakably heavy, and the band writes crushing, often gloomy and extremely loud riffs. But to merely describe the group as a sludge or doom band would be doing a disservice to them and anyone reading this profile. Although using subgenre categorizations such as “post-metal” can sometimes obscure the description of a band’s music, I’d argue that jamming Distances might clarify exactly what the term “post-metal” means. They take the resilient doom metal mold, smash it to pieces in front of you on stage with their instruments and scatter the pieces in places you might not expect to find them. They rearrange the fragments into something beautiful – even though the act itself is a bit violent – and their lyrics match the mystifying nature of what you see unfold on stage. Experiencing the band live transcends a typical rock ’n’ roll experience both sonically and neurologically. And Distances smacks mystified crowds with enough volume and lights to awaken supersensory perception in anyone standing within the band’s vicinity – and maybe even outside the venue. You can see, hear and feel what’s going on in front of you, and the pleasantly disorienting mix of stimuli produces simultaneously sweet and alarming hallucinations in even the most clear-headed concert goers.
Will you describe your sound for us?
Loud, mostly! We’ve been described as post-metal, sludge, post-hardcore, or atmospheric-metal. Ranging from pretty passages to faster, heavier, dissonant sections.
What are your favorite venues to play and why?
It feels like we’ve been playing forever. It’s easy to be nostalgic about venues that have come and gone, from trying to fit on the semi-circle stage at old Burt’s Tiki Lounge to hauling gear upstairs at The Attic or The Compound or Gasworks. Currently, The Launchpad is great. We’ve developed a good relationship with promoters and sound engineers there over the years. Sister Bar also has great sound, drinks and food. If we’re talking Santa Fe, Tumbleroot has a great vibe and we like playing there.
What are your lyrics about?
There are usually two approaches to our songwriting: macro and micro. The macro involves current affairs and social injustices that affect everyone. The track “Two Thirty” talks about the law Section 230 that protects free speech, but also functions as a shield for hate-spewing white nationalists. Our micro approach to writing is very personal, with topics running the gamut of grief, having children, guilt and a bad back. “Poison Dowry” touches on the fears of passing down our darkest issues to our kids. The lyrics tend to be kept more metaphorical, allowing room for interpretation by the listener.
What bands or genres inspire your music?
We listen to a wide range of music: hip hop, electronic, dream pop, ’80s new wave and a mix of current and older heavy music. Some standout inspirational artists for our music are Cult Of Luna, Beach House, Converge, END, Lo! and Yashira, but we really listen to almost anything! It’s not uncommon for a road trip to consist of a track from Princess Nokia followed by Depeche Mode.
What is the best show you have ever played and why?
There are so many killer bands, local and national, that we’ve had the opportunity to jam with. It always feels amazing to open for big touring bands that we admire, but seeing the overwhelming support from old friends, new friends and fellow musicians for our last album release show felt special. It was an all-local show with our friends Coma Recovery and Music Is The Enemy for the release of our sixth album Abstruse at Sister Bar, and people showed up for us. It was an incredible show that meant a lot.
We pride ourselves on doing everything we can on our own, with no label backing. We illustrate/design all our shirts and albums, screenprint our own shirts, stickers and vinyl record jackets, and produce, compose and edit our music videos. Our next local show is Feb. 18 at Desert Dogs in Santa Fe with Palehorse/Palerider and Coma Recovery. We’re currently writing new material for an upcoming release. We tend to be loud and have strobe lights.
Listen Up:
Watch the video for the track “Two Thirty” from their 2024 release Abtruse here.
Trip out on the video for the song “Full Circle” here.
Enjoy Distances performing live in January 2023 at Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery in Santa Fe here.
Watch a clip of Distances performing as Ace of Bass at Launchpad’s Night of the Living Cover Bands event – dressed as dinosaurs in their underwear – here. You’ll understand why the band has a special something you can’t quite wrap your brain around.
Check out Distances on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with the band. You can jam or buy their albums on Bandcamp here.