Founded in a California college dorm room as an experimental electro group in 2005 by Uruguayan frontman John Kunkle, The New Division continuously churns out new music, their latest being the full-length album Shadows.
Noting that their latest work is “just another remedy for a bad day,” The New Division suggests music as just one of many treatments for a lull on their fourteen-track album. Running an hour in length, the piece maps a three-part, adventurous tale of conquering the sorrows of a bad time, however long it may actually be or feel.
“Opium” introduces this new world, one that will focus heavily on angst, youth and hedonist escapism, and then quickly picks up speed with the dance track “Shallow Play.” A consciousness of Jon Cusack nostalgia is felt in “Sense,” and throughout the entirety of the album. The title track, a dreamlike instrumental short, rounds out the first act of the album.
We dance into the second part of this new adventure with “Violent,” only to lose focus with the next four songs. The music regains our attention with the opening of “Hearts For Sale.” The second portion of the album suggests a clear semblance to The National, with a more listenable sound, as the lyricist and vocalist, it seems, were directly inspired by them. The tracks resemble beats heard in a hipster Mexico City or Montevideo club and build our excitement to a weekend night out. The second third of the album leaves us wanting more in general, filled with longer, less poignant work than the first.
“Special”’s synthesizer solo is just that, bringing the album into a fun, victorious vibe with just a touch of angst for the final third. Despite its 4:49 length, the track warrants another full listen. “Memento” continues the anxious sensation of the last few tracks but emerges even more fully than its predecessor in pushing our hero forward, as the song seems to ensure that everything is starting to make sense again. We approach the final stretch of the album, waiting for us there on “Saturday Night.” We have finally reached the anthem of the album (and are a sucker for ocean metaphors: “together we’re sailing to something”), a dance track that just invites Saturday night partiers to continue, asking, “when should the sun the go down? When the moon is bright.”
Kunkle aptly describes The New Division as “nostalgia with a modern twist.” The music of Shadows is able to strike many chords with listeners, taking them on an emotional journey, allowing them to break-free from melancholy thoughts and joyless life turns if only for one night.
Best tracks:
1) “Opium”
4) “Violent”
11) “Special”
14) “Saturday Night”
"Shadows" is on sale September 27, 2011 and is rated .
