Divides

Anywhere & Nowhere EP

Written by: TL on 25/02/2015 15:25:10

Female-fronted rock and Scottish rock are both genres that have been a long time rising, and situated in both we find Glasgow quintet Divides, whose debut EP "Anywhere & Nowhere" is set to come out in a few weeks. The group's relative inexperience can be heard when singer Tasha Cowie shoulders most of the focus in the verses of the opening title track and the closing single "Falsehood", but she makes up for any lack of confidence with an urgency and an attitude that's reminiscent of her countryman Sam McTrusty (of Twin Atlantic). McTrusty is also a good comparison in terms of the distinct Scottish sneer with which Cowie sings, and the twist to her voice - which otherwise compares easily to your go-to, capable frontwomen of bands like Paramore, PVRIS or Anavae - means that Divides have at least one ace up their sleeve to drop in response to the common argument that bands of this type are all basically pale Paramore copies.

And that's a good ace to play up front, because it would be a shame for listeners to overlook a song like "Landslides", which arrives second of the four on the EP. Starting with high energy in both tempo and riff, before a drop down to a textbook, atmospheric verse sets up perfectly for a chorus that races ahead in instantly catchy fashion. The drop from the tremolo segue between first chorus and second verse is a bit sharp perhaps, but that is a trifle soon forgotten when the second chorus gives way to a chunky, riff-centric bridge and the kind of anthemic climax especially You Me At Six fans should recognise and appreciate.

The following "Spiders" is not far behind in terms of instant impact though, relying on haunting guitar figures that bring to mind the fellow Scots in Flood Of Red, and the dramatic interplay between the guitars and Tasha's voice in the chorus works particularly well. As mentioned though it is the closing "Falsehood" that the band has most recently released as a single, which makes sense considering its repetitive chorus obviously gets the job done. And along with opener "Anywhere & Nowhere" it's not like there's a wide gap in quality between them and the two central tracks, the main hook of the first track is just a bit weaker than the two in the middle, and you could argue that the stately tempo in "Falsehood" borders on being slow enough to buckle under the attempted hugeness of the song's drama.

There are some clear rough edges to work on in Divides' material at this early point then, but it should be equally clear that these are minor and that the impact of the band's songs is felt all the same on this promising first effort. The main challenge for the band is the normal one of folding out their qualities enough to have material for a full-length to follow up, but that said, they should definitely hesitate to change too much about their already strong expression. The way they build up their hooks is already good and their style is neither too hard nor too soft, so while the field of similar bands in the public eye can seem crowded to those in the know, Divides should feel pretty confident if they can focus on what they already do well and simply attempt to tighten it up just that extra convincing bit.

Download: Landslide, Spiders
For The Fans Of: Anavae, PVRIS, Paramore, Evarose, Twin Atlantic
Listen: facebook.com/DIVIDESOFFICIAL

Release date 16.03.2015
Self-released

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.