Jonathan Morris
Jonathan Morris is a Bristol based writer covering culture. He’s tired of logging on.
Divorce follow up last year’s ‘Heady Metal’ EP with an alt-country/post-punk statement dripping with head-in-hands desperation
Produced by Catherine Marks (boygenius, Wolf Alice), ‘Gears’ is a driving anthem about the emotional costs of spreading yourself too thin. Singer Felix Mackenzie-Barrow laments over a prototypical storyteller country riff, inspired by the challenging work-life balance he experienced after moving to London.
“I was spending all of my time working or playing shows and couldn’t maintain any kind of social life or keep up with the spending a social life felt like it would cost. The song came out of those frustrations.”
This relatable feeling of your life drifting away from you culminates in a crescendo, blending arena rock energy and local band honesty – “I don’t remember when the gears got stuck”.
Desperate harmonising and luscious folk instrumental interjections soften the punk edges before a driving rock chorus. A sudden stop ultimately denies the full cathartic release, leaving a sense of longing in the air. You come away from ‘Gears’ abrupt ending wondering if you yourself have stalled, noticing the jittery clunk of your own stuck gears.
Divorce are on tour with Everything Everything throughout March and April.
Watch/Listen to ‘Gears’ here:
