'Even in the Dark' Marks Deaf Locust's Return on the Kakorrhaphiophobia EP
How Brian Gawaski Rebuilt A Genre-Blending Rock Voice Across Kakorrhaphiophobia
Even In The Dark is the lead single from Deaf Locust, the returning project of Brian Gawaski. The track pulls Alternative Rock weight, Post-Punk chill and odd-metered Prog into the same few minutes. Released on 5 November 2025, it was Gawaski’s first new music in over a decade. He is the singer, instrumentalist and composer once heard in The Ciem Show. Months on, the single keeps finding fresh ears across streaming services.
The playlist below makes room for Deaf Locust, and his artist profile tracks the return after a decade away. The Kakorrhaphiophobia EP reached this desk by way of PopHits.Co Music Charts, which verifies independent artists and places their releases across its network of music news titles. Hit play on Even in the Dark, then read the rest for what Brian Gawaski has been doing since The Ciem Show.
A Decade Away From Music, Then A Deliberate New Jersey Comeback
Deaf Locust is the working name for Brian Gawaski. He stepped back from music for more than ten years before returning with Kakorrhaphiophobia. The EP arrived on 5 November 2025 and hit the major streaming services the same day. That closed a long gap in his output, one stretching back to his time in The Ciem Show. The distance shows in the writing. This is a comeback built with intent rather than nostalgia. Gawaski handled the singing, the playing and the composition himself, all under the Deaf Locust name in Howell, New Jersey.
The record wears its stakes in its title. Kakorrhaphiophobia is the clinical word for a fear of failure. It is a pointed name for a first release after so long away. Rather than play it safe, Gawaski leans into the risk. Instead, he stacks Alternative Rock, Grunge, Prog and Post-Punk into songs that refuse an obvious lane. Early write-ups, in turn, called it familiar and refreshingly non-derivative at once.
“Releasing Kakorrhaphiophobia was about sharing a piece of my journey, exploring vulnerability and atmosphere through sound after a long hiatus,” Gawaski said. “The enthusiastic response to ‘Even In The Dark’ and the EP has been incredibly humbling, proving that there’s a hunger for music that dares to blend genres and express genuine emotion.”
Alternative Rock, Grunge And Post-Punk Collide On ‘Even In The Dark’
As the EP’s calling card, Even In The Dark is the clearest picture of what Deaf Locust does. Distorted guitars carry the Grunge and Alternative Rock backbone. A colder Post-Punk current runs underneath. The arrangement keeps shifting where a straighter rock single would lock into a chorus. The Prog influence shows less in flash than in structure. You hear it in the way sections turn and recombine instead of simply repeating.
There is real weight to the production, and the quieter passages give the loud ones somewhere to land. Gawaski favours dynamics over sheer volume. A tense verse opens into a heavier lift, then pulls back again. It is the kind of writing that rewards headphones and a repeat listen. As a result, the record has held its place on streaming services rather than fading after release week.
RockCharts.News curator team: “What keeps Even In The Dark on our rotation is how Gawaski lets the Prog structure breathe, holding a Post-Punk chill under the Alternative Rock heft instead of rushing to a hook.”
Why Fans Of Failure, Tool And Interpol Should Hear Deaf Locust
Deaf Locust lands most naturally with listeners who like their rock heavy but detailed. This is the crowd that wants visceral energy and intricate depth in the same song. Fans of Failure will recognise the trick of wrapping big, fuzzed-out guitars in a spacious, slightly bleak mood. The odd-metered turns and long-form structures will speak to anyone who follows Tool for that restless sense of a song reshaping itself. And the taut, repetitive basslines and grey, overcast tone owe an audible debt to Interpol and the Post-Punk lineage they carried into the 2000s.
That range has already drawn writers from across the underground. Even In The Dark and Kakorrhaphiophobia picked up early features from Obscure Sound and Punk Head. Further coverage came from Sinusoidal Music and Loop Solitaire. A longer conversation with Pigeon Opinion dug into how the record came together, and Iggy Magazine carried it to French readers. For an independent act returning after a decade away, that early interest says plenty.
Where To Stream Even In The Dark And Follow Deaf Locust
Even In The Dark and the full Kakorrhaphiophobia EP are out now across the major services. You can stream the record on Spotify or buy it straight from the artist on Bandcamp. Either way, the whole EP is a click away.
To keep up with what comes next, follow Deaf Locust on the project’s YouTube channel, Instagram and Facebook. You can also visit the official website for the full story. Well into 2026, Even In The Dark still makes a strong case for one of the more considered rock comebacks of the year.
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