The New Division are back with Shadows, their first full-length release and a follow-up to their previous release, The Rookie EP, which took the world by storm this past year and became a music rotation staple for my ears. Shadows steps away from the bright, straightforward and poppy sound of the last release and ventures into a more obscure and complex offering of ten songs and three “interludes”. The foundation of these tracks are amazing composition, synth, and guitar that are anchored by super soothing and unforced vocals. I’m pretty sure this will be one of the more memorable releases for me this year and I’m super proud of these guys for what they have created. I’ve been listening to this album for over a week and I feel like there is so much there that I haven’t even begun to digest. You can pick up Shadows on September 27th, 2011. In the meantime, check out the album from their bandcamp (player below).
The LP opens up real hot and strong with the first three tracks being single-worthy jams on their own. The first song, Opium, immediately sets the tempo and showcases what this album is all about: making the most dark and menacing things beautiful. It’s like the happiest of opium dens, stay away from drugs kids. The next track, Shallow Play, is a real creepy dreamer with it’s mellow tempo and soothing ooooh ooooh oooohh oooohs that let up to stalkerish lyrics. Sense, which is the third song, breathes some heavy 80’s in the beginning a la Michael Sembello’s Flashdance track She’s A Maniac. There is some great synth energy in this song that is begging you to “run downtown” and relive the 80’s. Other standouts include Munich and True Lies, with the song Memento being the pinnacle and coming in at a hefty 8:48 of danceable playtime .
[wp_bandcamp_player type=”album” id=”3042790452″ size=”venti” bg_color=”#FFFFFF” link_color=”#4285BB”]
The band talks about their first album, Shadows, out Sept. 27, 2011.
By loading the video, you agree to Vimeos’s privacy policy.
Learn more
Video for True Lies
By loading the video, you agree to Vimeos’s privacy policy.
Learn more
If you happened to miss TND’s The Rookie, we highly recommend you re-visit it. The video for the single Starfield is below.
By loading the video, you agree to Vimeos’s privacy policy.
Learn more
Facebook here.
Bandcamp here.
