Following his departure from his high-school band Short Stack (not to be downplayed, the band enjoyed considerable commercial success), Shaun Diviney has returned with a solo EP that strikes a fun and clever balance between electro, hip-hop, pop, and rock.
It seems that the Newscastle boy has drawn on his punk/pop influences and sought infuse his new material with a modern electro feel. The result is a pretty darn catchy little album.
Kicking off with the super fun eponymous track, Diviney brings a powerful and soulful sound to the table, while ‘Skeleton’ has a decidedly Panic At the Disco-esque feel to it with a slow build and some pretty tasty hooks.
Old Short Stack fans will be pleased with ‘Never Love A Wild Thing,’ where the singer draws on his old punk-pop stylings.
He drops things right back with the cool and poignant ‘Crying Your Eyes Out’, but the real treat of the EP would have to be ‘You’re So Cool’ a synthy, funky track which really shows off Diviney’s new direction.
His final track, ‘Dance With The Devil’ is a delight with obvious homage to Timberlake, which isn’t at all a bad thing. A fun and well-delivered EP, Diviney has proven that he can stand alone with excellent results.
