Death in June are a neofolk group led by English musician Douglas P. (Douglas Pearce). The band was originally formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as a trio. However, after the other members left, in 1984 and 1985, to work on other projects, the group became the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators. Over the band's four decades of existence, they have undergone numerous shifts in style and presentation, resulting in an overall shift from initial post-punk and industrial music influence to a more acoustic and folk music–oriented approach. Douglas P.'s influence was instrumental in originating neofolk music, of which his music has subsequently become a part.

In 1981, Pearce formed Death in June in England, along with Patrick Leagas and Tony Wakeford. Pearce and Wakeford had been members of the left-wing and anti-fascist punk rock band Crisis, which was formed in 1977. Crisis had gained a substantial following in the UK punk subculture. and had performed at rallies for The Right to Work, Rock Against Racism, and the Anti-Nazi League.

Death in June soon left the punk scene behind and began to infuse their sound with electronics and martial-style drumming, combined with a Joy Division-influenced post-punk sound. Then, a few years later, including a synth-heavy folk style with acoustic guitar. The synths were later phased out, and their later music added atmospheric sound loops, dialogue samples, industrial beats, etc. Their lyrics maintained much of the poetry and political urgency of the early Crisis recordings. Tracks such as the early single sides "Holy Water" and "State Laughter" demonstrated an ongoing fascination with political systems. The new name of the band came from an in-studio mishearing of "death and gloom".

In early 1984, Wakeford was fired from Death in June for "bringing his 'right-wing leanings into the group'"; at the time he had been a member of the UK's National Front. Further on, Douglas P. would abandon any overt interest in politics in favor of a more esoteric approach to his work.

For 1984's Burial LP, Death in June began to adopt a more traditional European folk sound, using more acoustic guitars, references to ancient and contemporary European history, and combining heavy percussion with electronic soundscapes and post-industrial experimentation.

The Nada! (1985) LP introduced a dance sound, accompanied by other tracks with the previously introduced folk elements. Douglas P. would later state this period was brought about by Patrick Leagas, which is further justified by Leagas's other work with the band Sixth Comm, and later by his joining Mother Destruction, where he would further explore themes of Germanic paganism and historically inspired music.

Patrick Leagas abruptly left the group in April 1985 after a tour of Italy, resulting in many cancelled shows, in the UK and Europe, that were due to follow that tour. Leagas, who began calling himself Patrick O-Kill, later formed Sixth Comm. Thereafter, Death in June has consisted solely of the work of Douglas P. and various collaborators.

In 1991, Douglas P. named and helped form World Serpent Distribution,^{[citation needed]} a British distribution company that specialized in esoteric, experimental, and post-industrial music, which would distribute his NER releases until the late 1990s. During this period, Pearce collaborated with many artists who also had material distributed through the company.