The Dead Spaces – This Is Not For You

I’ve written a lot of blogs over the years. Sometimes I wonder who’s out there reading them. There’s a fair few of you that’s for sure but I received some nice confirmation when Stevyn Halsted reached out to me last month.

Halsted is a songwriter who has spent decades moving through different bands and musical projects before settling into this one. There is a deep musical history here. You can hear it in the confidence of the arrangements and his delivery of the songs. This is not someone learning how to write or record. This is someone choosing exactly how they want things to sound and giving them to us to enjoy.

I went into this with a strange mix of excitement and calm. Excitement because his song ‘Seeking Darkness’ includes a line of my own writing, which is still a surreal thing to process. Calm because I had no expectations placed on the record itself. No sense of where it needed to land or what box it should sit in. That felt like the right headspace to meet This Is Not For You.

Sonically, I hear the album sits at a junction of genres without leaning too hard on any single reference point. Halsted has this to say on his sound.

All that said, I say bring on the main course! Let’s dive in and see what’s on the menu!

‘Yer Tiz’ opens the album by setting that tone immediately. It unfolds slowly, letting the guitars establish weight and texture before the song fully reveals itself. I love the slacker kinda vibe to the guitars. The vocals come as a surprise. Thery are very much front and centre delivered with rock and roll gusto. It gives the album a defined aesthetic right out the gate and intrigues us for what’s to come.

Up next we’re waving the ‘White Flag’. It stretches out over seven minutes but never feels indulgent. The groove locks in early and carries the song forward with quiet confidence. Layers build gradually, distortion thickens, and the guitars feel like they are coming at you in wave or pulses from outer space. The vocal performance is impassioned and delivered with intent. Another solid track.

Feedback squalls usher in ‘Shimmer’ but soon even out into a grungy riff. The pace is slightly slower here but none of the intensity is lost. Not least in those stop-start moments in the chorus. This is a warm sounding track from the vocal to the lush and static filled guitar tone. Just check out that guitar solo section to see what I mean.

The bass guitar leads us in to ‘It Never Remains Parts I&II’. Sitting at the centre of the album with this grand title your expectations go up. Part I feels measured and reflective, laying emotional groundwork all couched around that bass riff. The second half takes a noisier more experimental take on that riff. Guitars swirl and reverberate reminding a bit of Spirit of the Beehive or Feeble Little Horse in places. It’s an adventurous track and Halsted pulls it off in style.

‘Tame’ arrives as a brief recalibration. Shorter and more direct, like its namesake, operates in that quiet-loud-quiet structure. The vocals enter that guttural growl we expect from our grunge tracks and that melodic payoff in the choruses is so satisfying!

‘Behind Closed Doors’ moves into darker territory. This is as close to a ballad as you’ll get on here. The first half is a duet between Halsted and his muted guitar part. Then at the halfway point it’s like the doors burst open and the song erupts into this jubilant choral attack. I know that’s one voice I’m hearing but it sounds massive. I found myself coming back to this one a few times so it has to be my album stand out track.

Halsted’s metal past surfaces briefly on ‘Lisanumera’. It’s foot to the floor, all jangling cymbals and racing guitars lines. The title being snarled through gritted teeth sounding menacing and powerful. The brief drop out mid song really ups the ante for that closing section which delivers with pinpoint accuracy the Royal Mail would envy.

‘Coolathane’ takes the foot off the gas a bit but is no less affecting for it. I don’t know why but this track gives me rural vibes, like it’s soundtracking part of Lord of the Rings or something. The guitar has this ominous, creeping tone that really sets it apart from the rest of the tracks on show here.

Bringing the album to an end is ‘Seeking Darkness’, the track that Halsted has rehomed a couple of phrases I’ve used in previous blogs. It’s incredibly flattering to have your words used at all, never mind in a song of this calibre. It’s a brooding slow burner based around that loop of three chords that slowly hypnotise you and gets you nodding along like a charmed cobra. The guitar solo is particularly class here too. A sure-footed end to a tremendous listen.

Across its runtime, This Is Not For You feels remarkably assured. Each song knows exactly what it needs to say and how long it needs to say it. The influences are clear but never overwhelming, and the record holds together as a complete listening experience rather than a collection of ideas. There is also a sense of solitude running through the album that feels honest rather than performative. This is not an album chasing attention. It is one that trusts you to meet it on its own terms and while the title might suggest otherwise, those who take the time to listen will quickly realise this is very much their kind of record.

This Is Not For You is out February 14th 2026 in digital and CD formats. You can keep an eye out for it via The Dead Spaces Bandcamp page.

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