Words: Will Carr, Photos: Band Media
It’s been a rough year between me and the indie scene. Dear indie, it’s not you, it’s me. As I creep towards my forties, I fear my ears have undergone the transformation into proper middle age where all music above a decibel is too loud and by definition whatever the kid’s like these days is awful.
Perhaps I’ve been listening to too much of it, or have just made poor choices, but every new up-and-coming indie band I’ve heard recently seem to have the same inspirations and don’t add enough of their own personality to avoid sounding like a poor imitation of The Strokes or The Arctic Monkeys. I longed to hear something that kept that independent spirit alive while also taking risks. I wanted a band that paid tribute to their predecessors, but who are brave and inventive enough to try something different. I guess I was hoping for too much.
This is what I thought on 23rd July.
The following day The Dive came out swinging with their new single “Don’t Let Me Waste It” and filled me with an unfamiliar sense of excitement.
As I turned on the track, I expected little more than a dribble of talent wrapped in potential, but for me, listening to them was the audible equivalent of throwing open the windows and taking a much-needed breath of fresh air.
You’re immediately hit by an upbeat tempo and driving jangly guitars, lead along by the smooth voice until landing at the poignant chorus.
Though inspired by New York post-punk and classic 2000s indie, if their latest single is anything to go by, The Dive appear to be ready to reinterpret the era’s taut rhythms and intertwining guitar lines through a more contemporary lens.
Their stated influences of modern acts like Keyside and Geese are fully on display here. There is a distinct leaning towards the former’s soaring choruses and emotionally charged songwriting. While the latter has clearly inspired the band to blur the boundaries of post-punk, indie-rock and art-rock and, not content to simple recreate the familiar, arrive at a sound that understands the foundations of the genre while leaving room to explore their own unpredictable personality.
Although our relationship will need time to fully recover, The Dive have given me hope that there are still vibrant minds out there keeping indie alive with fresh, experimental sounds. When done wrong it can sound flat and droning, when done right it sounds like The Dive.
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