Every so often an album just flies up out of nowhere and smacks you right on the end of the nose with its sheer brilliance. To be honest there haven’t been many albums that have done that this year, with Audio Karate and The Used being just two of a handful of records by unestablished bands that have rocked my world. Well you can add another band to that list, as Divit have unleashed a modern day masterpiece in the making with ‘Broadcaster’.
Just in case you aren’t aware of this San Francisco foursome, Divit play melodic punk and were recently signed to Nitro Records after a spell on Coldfront Records. But following their earlier recordings for the label, Divit‘s sound has matured and the pop-punk stylings of old have been dropped in favour of a fuller sound, and the change of direction, previously hinted at on the awesome ‘Misunderstanding Maybe’ suits them down to the ground. Because ‘Broadcaster’ is a slice of Jawbreaker/Jimmy Eat World music with natty hooks and searing melodies that have made the likes of the Foo Fighters one of the biggest bands around at the moment. It’s not punk as we know it, but it ain’t half good.
‘Broadcaster’ is a special record from the first minute to the last, with a wall of guitars opening up ‘Driver’ which features a fantastic chorus and the distinctive vocals of Mick Leonardy. What becomes instantly noticeable is that ‘Broadcaster’ is not a chirpy pop-punk record, instead there is angst aplenty as Mick and his crew pour their hearts out and rid themselves of their personal traumas. ‘No Regrets’ is punkier in sound but as depressing lyrically as any of the other songs, a juxtaposition which works remarkably well. The words “I’m sorry to say that I hate you, and I never want to see you again,” have never fitted so well to such an upbeat riff. But then things get personal again with ‘William‘ the tale of a friend’s battle against substance abuse.
‘In Slow Forward Motion’ comes across like Jimmy Eat World at their rockiest, and although simplistic lyrically, ‘Tomorrow’ is a gem of a tune begging to be put on repeat. Then things get even better with the super-catchy boy-meets-girl ‘The One That’s In The Green Shirt’. Yes, it is obvious. Yes, it is dumb. But yes, it does rock. ‘Catch Me If You Can’ is one of the best examples of the genius of ‘Broadcaster’, proving that Divit have amalgamated several sounds and come up trumps with their own. Then there’s the fantastic ‘Hello Me’ which again comes from the Jimmy Eat World school of catchy choruses.
‘Plan B’ is again the tale of yet another failed relationship, before the outstanding ‘Violet’, a song which will surely be a future single and go down as one of the best songs this year. Mid-paced and rocking with a melody to die for, Divit make writing brilliant songs look extremely easy. It’s not the best song lyrically, but on the scale of sheer catchiness, you won’t find too many better tracks. The same can be said about ‘So Very Ordinary’ and the morbid closer of ‘Sky’, which touches on death with its slow and ’emo’ like verses.
This time next year Divit could well be on the verge of Jimmy Eat World style popularity – they are simply that good. Watch out for them in a venue near you and go and check them out, because this is a band where the sky really is the limit…
Paul