Dead Media

Hefner enjoyed a productive four-album, multi-EP career between 1996 and 2002. Their beautiful, concise, intelligent songs earned a loyal, cult audience and the support of legendary DJ John Peel.

Their final album, Dead Media, released in 2001, found Hefner taking risks to break free of their indie-folk roots. The band cocooned themselves in a home studio with broken analogue synthesizers, antique drum machines, and battery-powered amplifiers.

Frontman Darren Hayman's precise, poetic dissections of romance draped over awkward, fuzzy beats created curiously engaging music, reminiscent of Cat Stevens covering Warm Leatherette. While Dead Media initially caused confusion and led to the band's breakup, songs like "Junk", "The Night's Are Long", and "When The Angels Play Their Drum Machines" are among Hayman's most adult and affecting works, standing out as some of Hefner's finest achievements.