Divine Fits’ Debut Album is A Thing Called Awesome

By: Chiara DiAngelo – 

What does it take to be labelled a “supergroup”? According to popular convention, the term is applied to a band whose members are “already famous from having performed individually or in other groups.” Divine Fits members Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner (Handsome Furs/Wolf Parade), drummer Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks) and keyboardist Alex Fischel have already achieved more than a little bit of success on their own and I would defy any person to deem Divine Fits unworthy of this title. Truly the definition could easily be rewritten as: supergroup, also known as A Thing Called Divine Fits. Beyond that though, and perhaps more importantly, based on the solidity of the group’s upcoming release, this project is the real deal, regardless of members’ previous successes.

Boasting two strong frontmen, a reinvention of either one of their other projects this is not. But with an almost experimental quality and splitting vocal duties roughly half and half, they come together to create a spectacular hybrid between the two. Some might say that this creates disjointment within the album as a whole, but it adds another level of interest to it, as you are never sure what you’ll get from one song to the next.

Overall, the album pairs throbbing keys and pulsating pop-dance beats beside driving drums, and each of Boeckner and Daniel’s signature and vastly different vocal stylings. A long-time fan of Boeckner’s now-defunct former projects, in large part because of his vocals, it was the songs with him at the helm that immediately attracted my attention – album starter “My Love is Real” and “Baby Gets Worse” for example. After a couple of full listens, I came away each time with more and more of an appreciation for those fronted by Daniel as well. Highly electronic-sounding, “The Salton Sea,” is a current favourite.

In contrast to much of the rest of the record, “Civilian Stripes” takes the tempo down a few notches, bringing Boeckner’s vocals up to take centre stage. To borrow a couple of the lyrics, “Is it good, is it really good?” Yes. It is really good.

The biggest surprise however is their cover of “Shivers” originally by The Boys Next Door. By far the most stripped down track on the album and removed of all electronic backing, the substance of the song weighs heavy in Daniel’s vocals and the jarring guitar behind them; the result is just as chilling as the original. This is the one instance where there is a true feeling of disjointment. While some may prefer to spend some more quality time in the darkness, it is soon forgotten. On to the next song, the feelings of dread are immediately washed away and replaced with the lightness of summer pop sensibilities that sound “Like Ice Cream.” It almost feels wrong, but only almost.

A Thing Called Divine Fits is set to be released on August 28 – until then, you can stream it on their website. They’ll be hitting Lee’s Palace in Toronto on September 5th; it’s a show you’ll likely want to be at.