Emerging from the Pacific Northwest's DIY circuit with a trail of sweaty basement gigs and bootleg merch behind them, Portland’s Long Deer have officially arrived with their ambitious debut LP, ‘Long Deer Radio’. Formed by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Isaak Boorstein, lead guitarist Caelum Cooney, bassists Julian Stark and Declan Harrison, alongside drummer Owen Keller, the quintet channel the chaotic spirit of their namesake cryptid into 13 tracks of raw, shape-shifting psychedelic garage punk.
Following closely on the heels of their early 2025 release ‘Be Careful With Deuce’ and the subsequent ‘Compulsive Thoughts’ EP, this full-length effort is built around a concept that eschews modern single-focused listening habits. Opening with the static-drenched snippet ‘[GOOD MORNING]’, the record mimics a hijacked broadcast, seamlessly weaving station transitions and announcer snippets throughout the track list. The sprawling sonic palette draws heavy inspiration from classic rock heavyweights like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd, whilst grounding its relentless crunch in the modern fuzz of King Gizzard, and Frankie and the Witch Fingers.
The record immediately explodes into life with ‘Compulsive Thoughts’, where massive guitar riffs collision with Boorstein's soulful vocals. Farther down the dial, tracks like ‘Doin' It Wrong’ lean into driving garage rhythms and New Wave hooks. The band’s cheeky homage to heavy rock history is unashamedly deliberate. "We copied ‘Songs for the Deaf’ because Julian is the only one that doesn’t exclusively listen to the Beatles or King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard. He was and is….the greatest man alive," the band share. Elsewhere, ‘Doin’ It Wrong’ showcases their eccentric narrative style. Isaak notes: “’Doin’ It Wrong’ came about when we were listening to a lot of garage rock and New Wave. One night, we were talking about the French Revolution and thought, let’s make a track about this where you could know all the words and have no idea what it’s about.”
The lore deepens on the mythical front too, as Caelum explains: “We attempted to contact a mythical cryptid with a seance and all got stuck in a hypnotic state where the Long Deer showed us infinity and we went mad for about a thousand years. We only got out when Isaak was able to translate the Long Deer’s story about a town that never was in Oregon. And after that, we were back where we started and just knew we had to make this record.”
While the concept occasionally threatens to overwhelm the straightforward punk aggression of individual songs, the overall package remains undeniably engaging. Concluding with the thematic finale ‘Sold The Radio’, the album stands as a vibrant statement of intent.
Tune into Long Deer’s frequencies on Spotify, Facebook, and Instagram to track their wild journey across the Northwest and beyond.
