Straight out of New York City's concrete poetry scene, St. Divine's newly released single "Swallow" crashes out of the silence with sheer visceral force. Led by the magnetic duo of Will Croxton and Judy Ann Nock, this rocking five-piece serves up a track that mixes downtown edge with uptown swagger, intertwining classic rock psychedelia with punk's defiant snarl.
A growling guitar riff leads things off before dropping into an engaging call-and-response of a vocal exchange between Croxton and Nock. The chemistry is palpable, capturing the electricity of a city that is always awake. The production is gritty and analog-feeling as if it's bleeding out of a Brooklyn basement show in 1979, but has also been buffed just enough for modern ears. There is a cinematic pulse driving "Swallow," and it's no accident that the music video, helmed by Maegan Dolan, showcases Brooklyn and Queens in their textured glory. The visuals complement the mood perfectly: dark and bright, with just the right amount of jerky movement in certain spots.
It's infused with echoes of The Velvet Underground, while vague mists of '70s punk spirit and an unmistakably catchy pop undercurrent hold the whole thing in place. It's thoughtful but not derivative, fresh but not trying too hard to be; that's no easy trick. "Swallow" appears on the band's debut EP, 'You Can’t Go Forward and You Can’t Go Back,' which is out today via Reel to Reel Records. The very title seems to distill the emotional push and pull that propels their sound, restless, reflective, refusing to stay in one place, yet just as unselfconsciously alive.
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