A NEW RELEASE FROM THE DEVINES
A new double single release from The Devines blend elements of indie and progressive rock but add this vastness in its underbelly so the tracks have a spacious depth that lends a hand to some of the emotional drive behind the music.
The Bourgeoisie release gives me little bouts of nostalgia here and there simply because, at times, you get the feeling of early, underground 90s post-punk and pop-rock elements, and it’s all done with this amazing aesthetic that feels cinematic and bountiful.
The first and title track is excellent and starts with this driving guitar that’s not overdone but balanced well, along with a heavy-handed beat on the drums, and it’s the drumming that really adds the drive to the song and pushes it into this forward-moving flow.
One of the things I love about this is how it’s layered and brings together these textures and ambient tonalities that build the song’s feel and vibe.
The vocalist has an outstanding approach to this track because he almost uses his voice like an instrument. This builds another layer and texture to the song, along with a melody that breeds an emotional undertone.
I also love the fact that this track has a unique energy. Again, it’s not over the top, but it feels almost like it was recorded live on the floor, and everyone involved was feeding off of each other the whole time.
I love this aesthetic because it puts you in the moment and lets you feel the depth of the track.
Throughout this single, you have a backing vocal that’s drenched in reverb and floating through the ether of the song, singing a melody that almost haunts.
This is what I mean by having a cinematic and sort of vast undertone to the music.
Those layers are there and the elements that build those layers are instruments and vocals together.
I feel like the aesthetic and feeling of this song were captured extremely well here. A lot of the melodies on this track stay with you for hours after the song has ended.
The second track is called ”Emily”, which has some of the same Staples, including a spacious backing vocal, but breeds more of an upswing pop-rock kind of vibe.
This track has a bit more color and vibrancy, which I feel is a good refresher after the first track.
Between the two of them, they’re showing different sides of their songwriting while still keeping true to some of their Staples.
”Emily” is a track I feel would be excellent for radio stations, and you get that classic pop-rock vibe from it, especially during the choruses.
One of the other things I liked about this track is how many vocal layers there are during the verses and choruses.
You have the backing vocals, but you also have double or triple-layered main vocals as well, so there’s a lot going on.
It all adds a great thickness to the track.
Listening to this band gives you a certain feeling. There’s something about these songs that lets you float alongside them, and they end up getting you engulfed in the soundscape and eventually washed away with it also.
I definitely love how you hear those layers and textures balance on top of each other so well and how the songs feel incredibly lush and full-bodied because of them.
These had elements of edginess to them but also had a lot of personality attached and I think that’s part of what you get attached to as a listener.
A beautiful set of songs from The Devines, most certainly listen to this release as soon as you can and do it with headphones on so you can really pick up on everything that’s going on in the atmosphere that the record delivers.
