Divine Fits are the veritable ‘indie supergroup’ combined of Spoon frontman Britt Daniel, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs fame, along with keyboardist Sam Brown.
Although Boeckner trades in slightly more electronic sounds than the predominantly guitar-based Daniel, for anyone familiar with the work of these men, you should know to expect supremely catchy pop, seemingly made with remarkable ease.
The post-punk “Flaggin A Ride” will be the most familiar sounding song for Spoon fans, and indeed it shares the immediacy of many of the group’s best songs with a swaggering beat and one of the album’s most memorable guitar-punctuated choruses.
“Baby Get Worse” and “For Your Heart” are the two best songs here though. While the former is a decidedly moody electronic track, the latter is a feel-good stomping disco-tinged song with a chorus of synth flourishes. Boeckner sings “my heart was beating in and out of time” before Daniel comes in halfway through to help his palpitating friend out.
Indeed, that feeling of chumminess is present throughout and it’s great to hear music being made by a group of people who really obviously enjoy spending time with each other.
Although the cover of The Boys Next Door’s “Shivers” sticks out a bit from the rest of the carefully crafted mood – it doesn’t really suit Daniel’s usually great voice – it’s a small misstep. It’s unlikely that this will be anyone’s favourite material that either of the band’s main men have done, but there is no denying that this is an absolutely rock solid pop album from a group of supremely confident indie stalwarts.
– Wyatt Lawton-Masi
