Divorce are defying the conventions of what a band can be. Their innate balance of humour and heart-on-sleeve sentiment is magnetic. A sense of otherness in their binary-less band environment provides the beat to their diverse heart. Most importantly, their songs are sensational, and their debut album ‘Drive To Goldenhammer’ exemplifies this to the full.
The Nottingham four-piece consist of Felix Mackenzie-Barrow (vocals, guitar), Tiger Cohen-Towell (vocals, bass), Adam Peter Smith (guitars, synths) and Kasper Sandstrøm (drums). Metaphorically, the band explain in a press release that Goldenhammer exists as a fictional place inspired by the culture of the East Midlands. The most pertinent way they’ve showcased this is by emanating a sense of warmth throughout their record, from their focus on oral traditions of storytelling, to their emotionally resonant lyrical themes. Not only does this offer a brief escape from the world at large, but it also embodies the character of the post-industrial Midlands, whose people may often get a rugged rep, but deep down are sweet and endearing – a side to their home culture that the band feel isn’t reflected enough in pop culture.
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Right from the opening laughs in ‘Antarctica’, Divorce’s sonic world feels like a cosy spot to rest your head. It’s the perfect tone setter; distant fiddle melodies meld with woozy guitars and mesmeric vocal harmonies, evoking all of the band’s varied country, rock and pop tendencies. ‘Lord’ ups the tempo, with nods to Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen in its soaring, yet mildly sinister choruses. Karen Carpenter is another legend referenced, featuring a standout performance from Cohen-Towell in ‘Karen’, whose rapturous vocals pay homage to Carpenter’s (tragically) misunderstood complexity and humanity: “Playing a show / To some hundreds of reptiles / Who lick your silver hands / And say ‘silver’s out of style now, Karen’”
‘Hangman’ is a joyous highlight, covering the dichotomic nature of Mackenzie-Barrow’s former job as a support worker, while the shapeshifting ‘Pill’ shows the full extent of Divorce’s unconventional artistry, inspired by Cohen-Towell’s love of Glasgow, as well as sexual and emotional awakenings. ‘Where Do You Go’ signals a slight left-turn, swaggering with attitude and oozing with the scent of St Vincent, before ‘Mercy’ closes proceedings on a more tender note, recorded intimately together in one room with its underlying mantra of encouraging love as a way of healing.
It’s rare to find a debut album that exudes as much honesty as what ‘Drive To Goldenhammer’ does. Never taking themselves too seriously, Divorce always leave room to smile among sadness, unafraid to cry or to laugh. It’s this openness which sets them apart – they’re not just a band, they’re a warming embrace.
Album of the year contender? Undoubtedly.
9/10
Words: Jamie Wilde
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