Direct Divide – 1000 Years
- Written by Julia Lamb
With the theatricality of Florence and the Machine and the ferocity of Muse, Direct Divide’s take on orchestral rock has a powerhouse spring in its step. The Monterey group enlists electric violins and piano alongside a backbone line-up of guitar, drums and bass, and the result is a sound that drives with energy yet flourishes with emotion.
The band’s latest single ‘1000 Years’ is expansive, dynamic and bursting at the seams with momentum. “Darling I know that your bones hurt, you’ve been toiling in the dirt / But I promise you that the work we do is for love” – ‘1000 Years’ opens with an ethereal atmosphere of airborne synthesizers and delicate harmonies, as the heartfelt vocals bleed emotion through each palpably vulnerable line. With the entrance of galloping drums, the track begins to build in intensity and justify its “symphonic rock” label. The climactic chorus is punctured by razor sharp guitar strums and features choral harmonies interwoven in the gaps: it’s a striking balance that creates a larger-than-life sound with a sufficient dose of excitement. Simmering down in its final chorus, the track dissipates to a lulling close, where violins shimmer in the spotlight and flaunt this band’s tender side.
(‘1000 Years’ is lifted from Direct Divide’s upcoming EP, Own Your Ocean, set for a summer release.)