Divorce are gearing up to release debut LP Drive to Goldenhammer following two stellar EPs, critical acclaim, huge support slots with major artists and a distinct gear shift from the Nottingham quartet.
Felix Mackenzie-Barrow and Tiger Cohen-Towell are separate rectangles in the Zoom window. We find Tiger on the sofa at home, while Felix sits at what looks to be a writing desk; surrounded by various cigarette-rolling detritus. “The album has been ready for over a year now, actually,” Felix says on the band’s forthcoming debut record. “Making an album takes an absolute aaaage,” Tiger interjects. “But it’s worth it because we love it.”
Drive to Goldenhammer is a fabulous melting pot of influences, sound and original ideas. They channel the late 70s lovesick heartbreak of an album like Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk and combine them with the sugary hooks of more contemporary pop giants. It’s a winning combo, and the band are building from triumphant EPs and bigtime support slots into their own unique niche. Divorce are carving out their own space in the industry with a deft touch.
“It’s very cool to put your record amongst the other records you own,” Felix is beaming with excitement at actually holding the physical product in his hands. “We kind of lean towards a scrappy sound, I don’t think there are super high production values but that kind of suits us. We didn’t explicitly consider what it would sound like on vinyl.” Tiger explains the band’s mastering process was centred around making it sound as good as possible regardless of the format. Felix interjects: “It was a real task to get the sequencing in order. We kind of treated the record as two acts of a play [a clear ‘A side’ and ‘B side’]. I think that works with the themes of the album itself.” He pauses to consider – “I like to do things slightly theatrically. As an experience for the listener too, so much music is geared specifically to a digital audience, and you don’t get that ritual of turning the record over. We felt that there were distinct opportunities to take advantage of the medium”.
None of the band are especially fanatical about vinyl, but their passion to ensure the best possible listening experience is palpable. “We’re not vinyl nerds,” Tiger clarifies. “But we are big on considering the best outcome for the listener. In a way, the sequencing was actually quite contentious. Making sure both sides of a record were balanced. You don’t really do it immediately, and it kind of becomes a jigsaw. I think we play with a lot of different pallets, sonically, but it was really fun”. This sense of fun is what drives Goldemhammer: it’s dark and brooding at times, lovesick in others, but the inherent sense that the band you’re listening to are having the time of their lives recording.
“I think the order we settled on was the product of a big drive we took,” Felix muses between attempts to lick the adhesive side of the rizla he has spent the last minute or so packing with tobacco. “We just listened to the record in loads of different orders. We listened to it so many times over like, a five-hour drive.” Tiger jumps in, allowing Felix to complete his roll: “It was kind of painful to be honest. It got to the point where I couldn’t even hear them as songs anymore”. The five or so hours from Glasgow to Nottingham shaped this record.
All the best albums sound good in the car, and Drive to Goldenhammer is no exception: the themes of travel, journeys and destinations all coalesce perfectly when the songs from this album are blasting out the speakers as you traverse an A road or a motorway. “All of the best albums sound horrendous in my car,” Felix laughs. “The speakers are just awful. I do think the journeys became part of the songs themselves, and some songs are positioned more thematically than others as parts of ‘the journey’. We wanted the second half to have an uplift with something like ‘All My Freaks’, which feels like a second beginning. Ending on ‘Mercy’ is really nice. Putting all the loud stuff down for a moment was cathartic in a way”.
“The way we recorded it [‘Mercy’] was so bare bones”, Felix explains. He has now relocated to the backyard and is struggling to light the cigarette he has been rolling since the start of the conversation. Tiger is still in situ, positioned on their sofa, adds “I think it has a feeling of the Simon and Garfunkel album, Bridge Over Troubled Water. The final track, ‘Song for the Asking’ is just so gorgeous and simple. It’s really sad and feels far away, like you’re listening to it from a hundred miles away. I love the way ‘Mercy’ is produced because it gives me the same sensation.”
Drive to Goldenhammer encapsulates an ultra-specific yet universal feeling: there is love, loss, heartache, trepidation and sunshine-through-the-clouds hope. Simply put, it’s a gorgeous record packed with vocal acrobatics, heartfelt lyrics and exquisite instrumentation. Cuts like ‘Old Broken String’ weave a brilliant country-style tale while ‘All My Freaks’ combines modern indie and glossy pop; both are testament to the sheer dexterity and musicianship on display here.
The album is bookended by Felix and Tiger’s lyrical duals – the pair share a fantastic songwriting chemistry and come across on record as a revelation. Their words have a brilliant way of hanging off each other, quipping and uplifting, harmonising and admonishing in equal measure. It’s a joy to behold.
featured image: Flower Up & Rosie Sco
