We joined The New Division in Santa Monica last week to officially celebrate the release of their Night Escape EP. Here are some photos of our personal Night Escape – a glorious blur of lights, music, friends, dancing and drinks.
Photos by Luke VanVoorhis
Album Art by Witness, Dersu Rhodes
Night Escape is the icing on The New Division’s already delicious cake. It’s the secret track at the end of a great album, the behind the scenes clip, the 5-page photo insert. When we look back at their body of work in 20 years, we’ll talk about this EP as the flirtatious wink in a sea of anguish. Not to say their songs are full of calamity, but this EP feels much more hopeful than the previous. They keep us locked in our car on a dark, rainy night but somehow add the faint hint of, dare I say, happiness? In their perfectly story-arched 4-song set, they take you from a sensual calm to a reckless abandon, and damn it feels good.
When I first heard The New Division’s single from the EP, Night Escape (Feat. Keep Shelly in Athens), a few months ago I wasn’t completely sold. It wasn’t that I necessarily didn’t like it – it was just that is was so different from anything The New Division had done before that I think I just wasn’t prepared for it. It’s always entertaining to me that the after a band releases a successful album, fans are always begging for more of the same with the following release. I feel deeply in love with ‘Shadows’ and their first EP ‘The Rookie’ that naturally, I suppose I fell into that ‘more of the same’ category.
Consistent amongst any art form, the artist is plagued with the NEED to create and constantly redefine oneself through their medium. The New Division is no different as they strive to evolve and grow from their previous recordings…
“The Night Escape EP was really a last minute decision for us. 2012 was really a confusing year for TND in terms of figuring out what direction we were going to go after ‘Shadows.’ We spent a lot of time writing new material, almost every day, only to decide that the majority of it wasn’t going to work as an album. I think with this EP we were trying to create something a bit more cohesive in terms sound and mood.”
The EP begins strong with ‘Pride’, the title in itself encompassing deep and powerful significance by definition. The crowd is heard cheering in the background, the familiar energy and excitement of eager fans awaiting the start of a highly anticipated show. The song catapults into the chorus, John Kunkel’s strong vocals leading the charge.
The wailing guitars on ‘Night Escape (feat. Keep Shelly in Athens)’ and contrasting female vocals interact in a powerful interaction. As if in a dream-like state, she’s calling out to the band empty cries of “I miss you” with beautiful guitar progressions void of words but full of meaning unable to express through words yet still acknowledging a beautiful past relationship. The band intentionally empasizing the use of female vocals throughout as also heard in ‘Start Over’ and ‘Kids’, featuring Janzie’s fiancee, Brooke Lohman.
“All throughout 2012 we sort of fantasized about collaborating with a female vocalist. We had several in mind, but we really dreamed of working with Sara from Keep Shelly in Athens. She’s definitely one of our favorite female vocalists. We already had a friendly relationship built with them through our remix work, so we asked and they agreed. We sent them the track for what was to later be called “Night Escape,” which originally was a song that I (John) failed to write proper lyrics to. It’s amazing what KSIA was able to do to make “Night Escape” what it is today.”
From the opener ‘Pride’ to the closer ‘Start Over’, The New Division hold on to just the right amount of their signature sound while infiltrating various new optimistic wrinkles. And in the spirit of comparisons, Night Escape might be compared to that cult classic indie film you know you’ll own for the rest of your life – the one tucked away in your drawer, forever safe and sound. You’ve watched it again and again yet each time something new is revealed as is it slowly unravels exposing more depth and complexity.
Each song is completely different yet like passengers on a train, they are headed in the same direction. This EP takes you on a journey from contemplation to a full out dance party with ear candy drops and kick ass vocals. The more we listen, the more we’re drawn in. Night Escape is a glimpse into the future, their golden hour yet to come.
// Post a collaborative effort by WT Sound contributors ~ All images by Douglas Heine
Earlier this month we met up with Slow Magic to see him perform at Central SAPC in Santa Monica. Being a one man act I didn’t quite know what to expect but it was one of the most energetic solo shows I’ve ever seen. Every drum beat was struck with ferocity and the crowd was kept on their toes with Slow Magic taking his drum to the audience on the floor midsong on a few occasions.
Photos by: Douglas Heine & Luke VanVoorhis
For those of you who joined us for our December Give Get Party, check out this recap of the night. For those of you who weren’t there, enjoy a peak at the evening. Shot and edited by Genius Duncan Barnes.
We got a phone call last week from The New Division that one of their favorite artists was coming to LA and that we should definitely check him out. They were referring to Slow Magic. The same Slow Magic that we had reported on several times last year and named one of the breakout musicians of 2011. Needless to say, we were stoked. Not only did he perform with Teen Daze (another favorite) on Tuesday at The Virgil, but we get to see him alongside The New Division and Fresh + Sunny this coming Friday at The Central. Buy tickets here and join us. It’s 5$. No brainer.
Slow Magic came and stayed with us in Venice for a few nights and we had a great time getting to know the guy behind the mask. Turns out, even though we dubbed him one of the ‘breakout stars of 2011′ he’s actually been playing music since he was 14yrs old. He also has multiple side projects happening that he’ll divulge to the world at some point, but for now, we don’t get to know too much about him. Why? Why the mask? Why the secrecy concerning who he is? Actually, it’s quite simple. It’s all about the music. ALL about the music. He doesn’t want his appearance or past work where he’s from or ANYTHING to get between what he’s creating and your experience with it.
A lot of people say his music suits the beach atmosphere. It conjures up feelings of a swirly breeze on your face, a bright kiss of sunshine, salt and sweat soaked skin or some sand in your flip flops. We couldn’t agree more. We laughed over dinner about the ridiculous genres of music (he doesn’t want to be pigeon holed although he knows it’s inevitable) and that his sound has been described as ‘indie electronic glo-fi.’ Personally, we love the term. His music and album art both are certainly glowing and sparkly. And he agreed that it’s also both ambient and driving, which we think is quite hard to do. The whole album is the perfect backdrop to any beach situation and we took advantage of the good fortune of living by one (a beach) and hopped on bikes to enjoy the day and discuss our love of music.
So where did the name Slow Magic come from? Turns out he’s a perfectionist. He takes his time, writes unhurried and deliberately, and makes sure the final cut is absolutely, well, perfect. After all of the time and energy spent on creating the music, the effect it has on people can be and hopefully will be magic. He says this from the front seat, pauses and then turns his head to look directly at me and says “Well, you know.” I do know. I know the feeling of music being magical. You do too. That’s why you’re still reading this.
One last cool thing we discussed (because honestly, we want to honor him and not divulge much) was his love of a good creative blog. Not just our site, but other sites continue to be instrumental in the success of artists like Slow Magic. He and his colleagues are beyond thankful for the exposure we give them and all we can say is that it’s definitely a mutually beneficial experience.
If you have the opportunity to check him out live, do so. He’s finishing up the west coast leg of his tour, going overseas again for some more shows and then hoping to do a full USA tour this fall. We hope so too. In the meantime, pop his album on this Summer whether you live on the beach or not. Either it’s going to be your antidote to the office (just close your eyes and pretend you’re not there) or it’s going to be the soundtrack to your sparkling glowing blissful breezy days in the sunshine. Popsicle optional.
–words by Lindsay Colip
–photos by Douglas Heine
