The Devines consists of the duo Magnus Haderborg on vocals, guitar, piano and harmonica and Gabriel Bergman Lahovary on bass, drums and guitar. They first met in June 2024 and from there it went quickly!
The entire now (today) released ”Modern Life in Urban Wastelands” was recorded and mixed and ready for a release that same fall.
And as if by chance, they sent the finished album only to us because the duo thought that it was in our solid catalog that their songs belonged, somewhere between previous releases by acts like Sahara Hotnights The Wannadies, The Bear Quartet and Popsicle. And of course we shared the opinion that this is where these songs belong.
With that said, The Devine’s music is best described as guitar-driven and melodic indie pop in the classic Swedish/British spirit with Magnus’ emotional voice and narrative lyrics where we get to hang out in the suburbs of London and meet Emily Jamie Michelle Daniel and even the infamous Millwall Boys. The band’s music undeniably brings to mind some of the 90s indie pop bands, although there are also some elements of shoegaze in some songs such as the finely tuned ”Lights” about perhaps having given up on your dream, taking your 2 pairs of worn jeans, your shattered dreams and turning your gaze homeward. Maybe the shoegaze elements are a wink at where the band is headed for album number 2? Only time will tell. Now is the time and then we like to listen to ”Modern Life in Urban Wastelands”.