Artist: Divine Fits 

Title: A Thing Called Divine Fits 

Label: Merge

Rating: 7.2

“Supergroup” and indie rock trio Divine Fits are to release their first album together, A Thing Called Divine Fits, on Merge at the end of the month. Made up of Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner, and Sam Brown of Columbus, OH’s New Bomb Turks. Gutsy guitar and raw emotion come through on this release produced by Nick Launay. The eleven track album sounds, well, like a release from a new band – despite their previous projects the three band members have brought something fresh to the table here.

Opener “My Love Is Real” is a dancey track with synth, drums and an ‘80s vibe – the synth and melody are reminiscent of Kraftwerk. “Flaggin a Ride” is another up-beat track with jerky drums and catchy hooks. “What Gets You Alone” surges forward once again – the pace of this album never lets go. This track in particular has a restless feel “I’ll never never never know what gets you alone” repeats with noisy guitar in between the verses. The culmination of noisy guitar and frantic drums peaks in the last twenty seconds with an explosion of sounds.

In “The Salton Sea” the lyrics sit over continuous jagged synth variations, the chorus repeats “Slow, slow, in full colour, we move slow, as I look out at the Salton sea, it calls to me”. It’s really very minimal but the repetitive nature drives the point home. By contrast “Civilian Stripes” is a warmer, acoustic track with softer guitar and vocals. This time piano is used instead of synth and guitar chords provide the rhythm in place of drums.

“For Your Heart” has a punchy opening with use of jagged key sounds and synth with a dramatic sound; “You better tell me why, you keep me searching in the dark for your heart”. Next track “Shivers” is full of scattered sounds, driving drums, guitar and an almost sinister note; “I’ve been contemplating suicide, but it really doesn’t suit my style, so perhaps I’ll just act bored instead”.

“Like Ice Cream” is a light hearted, energetic track about summer and frozen dessert; “She waited for me like ice cream, I could have took all summer”. Closing track “Neopolitans” has a slow, long build up and tension provided by short, staccato synth followed by dreamy vocals and jangly guitar. It’s a great ending to the well rounded album. The Fits are indeed made up of three members all previously in successful bands, but it’s clear that together they make something fresh, something new.

Reviewed by Heather Welsh.