Experimental hip-hop mainstays, Dälek, return with their latest full-length album, which follows shortly after the December release of Will Brooks’ excellent collaboration alongside This Heat’s Charles Hayward, HAYWARDxDÄLEK, which finished in our Top 50 Albums of 2025.
Taking its name from a section of Erik Larson’s 2011 novel, In the Garden of Beasts, Brilliance of a Falling Moon is set for release on March 27 via Ipecac Recordings. Earlier today, Books and Mike Mare shared the video to the Brilliance of a Falling Moon’s lead track, Better Than, which you can watch / listen to below.
Sharing their thoughts on Better Than Dälek say that, “Better Than encapsulates the new sound and feel of the record perfectly. It conveys the anger, frustration, and defiance of the moment. Sonically, it is somehow simultaneously, sparse and stripped down, yet complete and dense. A new wall of sound built only of the absolutely necessary elements.”
Recorded in the group’s Deadverse Studios over the course of 2024 and 2025, Brilliance of a Falling Moon’s paints a fiery portrait of life and resistance in fascist America. Taking aim at everything from The State’s suppression of information to colonialism and Trump’s demonisation of immigrants, Brooks’ rhymes are practically burning with outrage at the current state of the world.
“The whole project was very influenced by what’s happening in the world and this country,” says Brooks. “During the initial days of the I.C.E. raids, it got me thinking. You see those powerful photos from the sixties when Black men were marching with the ‘I AM A MAN’ sandwich board signs. It was powerful then; it’s powerful now… when you listen to this, I hope you walk away with hope because we’re still fighting, building, and pushing.”
Dälek - Brilliance of a Falling MoonBrilliance of a Falling Moon track list:
- Better Than
- Knowledge | Understanding | Wisdom
- Normalized Tragedy
- Expressions Of Love
- Substance
- I AM A MAN
- For The People
- By The Time We Arrive In El Salvador
Along with the release of Brilliance of a Falling Moon, the duo have announced a European tour, which includes an appearance at Tillburg’s Road Festival. Tickets are on sale now.
Brilliant of a Falling Moon is out March 27 via Ipecac Recordings. Pre-order here.
