Album Review Demob Happy - Divine Machines

Steadily, over 10 years and two studio albums, Demob Happy have been polishing and cultivating their niche - metamorphosing their sonic fingerprint into a signature sound. On ‘Divine Machines’, there is a conscious, structured element to the trio’s songwriting, with just enough lemon-squeezed zest on top to make it uniquely engaging. Through rich power chords, multi-faceted vocal work, and a cohesion of riffs to both comfort and disrupt, ‘Divine Machines’ is a full-course meal of rock’n’roll. Take, for example ‘Voodoo Science’, which explodes into a burning and frenetic high-speed chase. Among the 11 carefully constructed tracks are moments of electric urgency, delicate piano, decadent guitar work, and a vocal range that always enhances the instrumentation instead of stealing the spotlight. While there is a parabolic sag through the middle of the record, ‘Divine Machines’ has enough octane to power on from start to finish. Not dissimilar to Arctic Monkeys refining their scrappy indie into slick stadium anthems, it’s the culmination of meticulous attention to detail 10 years in the making. Rather than innovating or charting new territory, Demob Happy have doubled down on their strengths: execution through simplification.