Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?

Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? is the eighth studio album by the American indie rock band Deerhunter. It was released on January 18, 2019 on 4AD. The album was co-produced by singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon, Ben H. Allen (who had previously worked with the band on Halcyon Digest and Fading Frontier), Ben Etter (who worked as a studio assistant on Fading Frontier) and the band itself. The first single, "Death in Midsummer", was released on October 30, 2018. The same day, a world tour in support of the album was announced, starting in November 4, 2018.[13][14][15] The second single from the album, "Element", was released on December 6, 2018. The album leaked on December 12, 2018.[16]

Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?
Studio album by Deerhunter
Released	January 18, 2019 (2019-01-18)
Recorded	2018
Studio	Marfa Recording, Marfa, TX Sonic Ranch, TX Seahorse Sound, Los Angeles Maze, Atlanta Attic of B. Cox, Grant Park, Atlanta
Length	36:10
Label	4AD
Producer	Cate Le Bon Ben H. Allen III Ben Etter Deerhunter
Deerhunter chronology
Fading Frontier (2015) Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? (2019)
Singles from Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?
"Death in Midsummer" Released: October 30, 2018 "Element" Released: December 6, 2018 "Plains" Released: January 9, 2019

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.7/10[1]
Metacritic	82/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The A.V. Club	B[4]
The Guardian	[5]
The Independent	[6]
Mojo	[7]
NME	[8]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[9]
Q	[10]
The Times	[11]
Uncut	8/10[12]

Lead singer Bradford Cox described the album as a "science fiction album about the present."[17]

Title

The album's title is a reference to the posthumously-published book of the same name by French philosopher Jean Baudrillard. Bradford Cox explained that he was "attracted less to the content of the book and more to this idea of a philosopher who spends his entire career predicting the disappearance of [culture], and then, on his deathbed, realizes it hasn't completely happened on its own during his lifetime. There's something sad and infinitely melancholy about that." Cox described the title as a "beautiful picture frame" for the songs he wrote for the album.[17]

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Gothamist	Top 26 Albums of 2019	21	[18]
Magnet	Top 25 Albums of 2019	18	[19]
No Ripcord	Top 50 Albums of 2019	13	[20]
Piccadilly Records	Top 100 Albums of 2019	16	[21]
Under the Radar	Top 100 Albums of 2019	22	[22]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bradford Cox, except "Tarnung" by Lockett Pundt.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Death in Midsummer"	4:22
2.	"No One’s Sleeping"	4:26
3.	"Greenpoint Gothic"	2:02
4.	"Element"	3:00
5.	"What Happens to People?"	4:16
6.	"Détournement"	3:26
7.	"Futurism"	2:52
8.	"Tarnung"	3:08
9.	"Plains"	2:13
10.	"Nocturne"	6:25
Total length:		36:10

Personnel

Credits adapted from the 4AD website, except where noted.[13]

Deerhunter

• Bradford Cox - vocals; electric and acoustic guitars; synthesizer; percussion; auxiliary drums; piano; Chamberlin; tapes; mandolin
• Lockett Pundt – electric, acoustic, slide, and twelve string guitars; organ; piano; mandolin; electric harpsichord; synthesizer; vocals
• Moses Archuleta – drums; synthesizer; mandolin
• Josh McKay – bass; marimba; piano, contrabass, electric piano; bells
• Javier Morales – piano; electric piano; Chamberlin; tenor saxophone; marimba; bass synthesizer; bass clarinet; contrabass

Additional musicians

• Cate Le Bon – harpsichord on "Death in Midsummer", vocals on "Tarnung", mandolin on "No One's Sleeping"[23]
• Tim Presley – abstract lead guitar on "Futurism"
• Ben H. Allen III – synthetic bass system on "Plains"
• Ian Horrocks – contrabass on "Nocturne"
• James Cox – bass vocals on "Element"[23]

Technical

• Ben Etter – engineering, mixing
• Samur Khouja – engineering
• Ben H. Allen III – mixing
• Bradford Cox – engineering, mixing
• Heba Kadry – mastering

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[24]	62
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[25]	119
French Albums (SNEP)[26]	127
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27]	28
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[28]	53
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29]	43
UK Albums (OCC)[30]	89
US Billboard 200[31]	192
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[32]	23
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[33]	40

References

1. "Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? by Deerhunter reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
2. "Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? by Deerhunter Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
3. Phares, Heather. "Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? – Deerhunter". AllMusic. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
4. Williams, Matt (January 16, 2019). "Deerhunter's eighth LP is a sci-fi salve for 21st-century anxiety". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
5. Petridis, Alexis (January 10, 2019). "Deerhunter: Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? review – beautiful and strange desert drama". The Guardian. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
6. Pollard, Alexandra; O'Connor, Roisin (January 17, 2019). "Album reviews: Steve Gunn – The Unseen in Between, and Deerhunter – Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?". The Independent. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
7. Eccleston, Danny (February 2019). "The Living End". Mojo (303): 88.
8. Beaumont, Mark (January 8, 2019). "Deerhunter – 'Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?' review". NME. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
9. Geffen, Sasha (January 17, 2019). "Deerhunter: Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
10. Doherty, Niall (February 2019). "Survival Kit". Q (394): 110.
11. Hodgkinson, Will (January 18, 2019). "Deerhunter: Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? review". The Times. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
12. Martin, Piers (January 23, 2019). "Deerhunter – Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?". Uncut. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
13. "Deerhunter : New Album 'Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?', Single Out Now". 4AD. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
14. Schatz, Lake. "Deerhunter detail new album, Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?, share "Death in Midsummer": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
15. Alston, Trey; Monroe, Jazz. "Deerhunter Announce New Album, Share Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
16. "Deerhunter : Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? album download | Has it Leaked?". Retrieved 2018-12-11.
17. Cuby, Michael (January 18, 2019). "Deerhunter's Bradford Cox on Trump, Streaming, and the Commodification of Queerness". them.us. Condé Nast. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
18. Yaks, Ben (December 12, 2019). "The Best Albums of 2019". Gothamist. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
19. "Magnet's Top 25 Albums of 2019". Magnet. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
20. "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". No Ricord. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
21. "Piccadilly Records' Top 100 Albums". Piccadilly Records. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
22. Redfern, Mark (December 31, 2019). "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2019". Under the Radar. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
23. Webb, Dan. "Review: Deerhunter – Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?". Sungenre. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
24. "Ultratop.be – Deerhunter – Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
25. "Ultratop.be – Deerhunter – Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
26. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 4, 2019)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
27. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
28. "Top 100 Albums: Semana 4". Productores de Música de España. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
29. "Swisscharts.com – Deerhunter – Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
31. "Deerhunter Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
32. "Deerhunter Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
33. "Deerhunter Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.