John's New Music Blog

This morning The New Division released their new double single, True Lies///Saturday Night. Both tracks are inspired by early New Order/Depeche Mode, with a dark sound and equally dark lyrics. Both songs are heavy on the synthesizers and drum machines with haunting vocals by frontman John Kunkel.


The first track, "True Lies," is a sparse song that conveys the loss of trust and sadness between lovers; the heavy beat and deep vocal give the emotions behind lyrics extra emphasis, you can hear the pain in his voice.

The second track, "Saturday Night," is a bit more upbeat, almost danceable, but still with the heavy beat and dark vocals. It's about waiting for the perfect moment with the person you love when everything is just right.




The double single is available as a free download from The New Division's Bandcamp page. The band will also be releasing their first full-length album, Shadows, on September 27, so check back for more details.

If John's New Music Blog had a house band, it would be Cults in a rotation with Best Coast, The New Division and Tennis (Allo Darlin' and The Standard Fare on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays). The only reason why we don't have a house band is lack of space and budget (plus the neighbors might have something to say about indie bands playing in the basement).




In honor of Record Store Day, Cults released a limited edition vinyl 7" single of "Abducted" and, thanks to Weekly Tape Deck, here's the song set to the 1967 French film Anna with Marianne Faithful and Anna Karina, created by director George Tanasie.



Cults - Abducted from George Tanasie on Vimeo.

If you didn't pick up your copy of "Abducted," you're out of luck, but Cults' album will be available on May 30th in the UK and June 7th in the US on Columbia Records (Amazon pre-order here, CD/vinyl).

The New Division released their new single, "Walk in the Dark" as a free download on their Bandcamp page. It's a great song that continues with the New Order/Depeche Mode influences that were heard on The Rookie. As readers know, John's New Music Blog is a big supporter and fan of The New Division and I encourage you to download their new single and share it with your friends. For those unfamiliar with The New Division, here's my review for their recent EP, The Rookie and an introduction to the band.






The New Division will be playing The House of Blues in Anaheim on April 14th, the Silverlake Lounge in Los Angeles on April 28th, and The Viper Room (yes, that Viper Room) in Hollywood on May 20th. If you're in Southern California, I encourage you to check our their show and tell them that you heard about them from John's New Music Blog (no, I don't get a commission for plugging their shows).

Today is another first for John's New Music Blog, an album review. Not just any album, but the new EP from Riverside, California's Joy Division/New Order influenced The New Division. The Manchester sound is alive and well and residing in Riverside as The New Division have made a record that wouldn't sound out of place on Ian Curtis' record player. Some have called it retro-New Wave, but I would describe it as a worthy successor to Closer and Movement. If you only buy one new record this year, make it The Rookie by The New Division.


The Rookie is out now at iTunes, Amazon and from the Band.

Just as I posted yesterday's featured band, The New Division, they announced that their next EP, The Rookie, will be released on January 11. No information on distribution channels, so stay tuned for availability.

If you'd like to download yesterday's track, Starfield, click here to go to the band's Bandcamp site to download it and a remixed version.

Think about where a band that cites Joy Division, New Order and Depeche Mode as influences would hail from. Nope, you're wrong. Try the hotbed of indie music called Riverside, California and the band is The New Division (get it, it's a pun). The band, a four piece from the aforementioned Riverside, California, have been self releasing EP's since 2009 starting with their self titled The New Division. The band has also released one single, "Art Kraft" from their upcoming EP The Rookie and the good people over at Pitchfork previewed their next single, "Starfield," to rave reviews.

The first time I heard "Starfield," I was hooked. It sounded like what Joy Division would have sounded like had Ian Curtis not passed away before the band could take advantage of the coming advances in modern electronic music. For a band that is doing everything themselves and without the benefit of a label to support them, this track is excellent; it's well produced and keeps with the Joy Division ethic of doing a whole lot with very little (I didn't hear the Martin Hannett trademark sound effects made from unusual sounds like an aerosol spray can, but that's probably coming soon). I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the tracks on the EP when it's released sometime next year.


Starfield by The New Division

Art Kraft by The New Division

The New Division is out now at iTunes. The Rookie's release date is TBD. Check back for more information or visit the band's site. I'm looking forward to hearing more from them next year and seeing them out on tour.

If you like what you're hearing, leave a comment and let me know. If you know of a band that I should know about, either leave a comment or click "Send Me an Email." Also "Like" the site over on Facebook to get the latest posts and hear about the latest bands before your friends and be sure to recommend us to your friends.