Local Review: A Deeper Heaven – High

A Deeper Heaven
High
Self-Released
Street: 05.16.2025
A Deeper Heaven = Pink Floyd + Massive Attack

If you’re looking for some easy listening rock music vibes on a short drive, A Deeper Heaven has the EP for you. Clocking in with four original songs and two reimaginings, you won’t be wasting your time with High. Clean instrumentals, raspy vocals and a touch of synth? You’ll want to pop in your earbuds and soak up the sounds that Marc Wheeler has created for you. 

Track one, “High” is the namesake of the album, with a techno intro that puts you into the frame of the album right off the bat. There’s a dreamcore feeling to it that fills a certain niche, while maintaining a high energy that contrasts the lyrics which have a depressing feeling to them. I imagine seeing A Deeper Heaven in a basement venue (like The DLC at Quarters) would be quite the experience. 

“Foreseer” slows things down a bit and gives me flashbacks to when I was a kid. My family would throw House up on the TV and “Teardrop” by Massive Attack would play. Bouncing between somber and electrifying instrumentals, we get some really cool moments from the guitarist on this track. The song opens with one of my favorite lyrics on the album, “When I’m wholly unaware, I don’t feel alone / Hidden far inside your mind, there you feel alone.” About three minutes in you get a short and sweet guitar riff that’ll cut right into your soul. 

“Future Fear” is a more mellow instrumental track but has a bubbly quality that gets you wanting to do the evil Tobey Maguire dance from Spider-Man 3 (2007) especially when you get to the bass solo at ~2:00. “We are lost and will be found in our own way” reminds me that I live in my own story; even with all the things that are so beyond my control in the world, I can walk my own path (while listening to some pretty cool music).

 “Stay” is the last of the primary tracks on the album and kicks off with a wicked bass intro and a more somber feeling in both the instrumentals and the lyrics. “Get this empty feeling in my bones / now you’re coming round again” is a pretty emotional lyric, especially once you move a few bars down and hit “I’ve been staying up for you / I can’t wait / I’ve been falling apart” followed by over a minute of closing instrumentals. 

But wait, there’s more! “Future Fear (Reimagined)” has a heavier and more electric feeling to it than the original, incorporating more synth and putting a techno-aetherial spin on the master. There is a point in this version that had me worried my headphones were acting up due to some miscellaneous static that plays during an instrumental break and the final lyrics. I don’t think either track is better than the other, but they both bring something different to the table. 

“Foreseer (Hypno Mix)” is a similar case to the last reimagining but provides a pretty significant vibe switch. I get why they call it the hypno mix, as this version gives the original track a tab or two of acid and sends it on a spiritual journey through the desert. This one is clean, no added static, and raises the energy on what was originally one of the more mellow songs of the EP. 

Every track on High is great. However, the instrumentals do fall into similar patterns throughout its course. The artist found a formula that works for making a good song, but listening to the entire EP chronologically does make some of the songs feel a bit repetitive. Reimagining two of the tracks was a good twist, but realizing there were only four original songs left me wanting more, especially knowing that there are deep cuts to mental health struggles throughout the lyrics. I look forward to seeing what comes next from A Deeper Heaven, and after taking a moment to jump back in time to their previous EP, Fire (2023), I think they’ve really got something good going. If we’re lucky, we may see another release within the next year or so (don’t mind me, I’ll just be stalking @adeeperheaven on Instagram until that time comes). — Damien Poelman

Read more local music reviews by Damien Poelman:
Local Review: Mended Hearts Club — Nobody’s Favorite
Local Review: b.cola — There Must Be Others

Enjoy SLUG’s coverage of local music? Consider becoming one of our donors!