Kevin Bronson on February 13th, 2014

0

Our anticipation for the New Division’s sophomore album just skyrocketed a few ticks. The Riverside-bred quintet of John Kunkel, Brock Woolsey, Janzie, Mark Michalski and Alex Gonzales, having regrouped after a hard-drive meltdown sabotaged the band’s work a year into the album-making process, will release “Together We Shine” on March 18. It’s further exploration of the New Division’s electro/post-punk ’80s revivalism, an aesthetic they nailed on 2011’s “Shadows.”  The new album features contributions from the Killers’ Dave Keuning, Keep Shelly in Athens and (we tip our hats here) SoCal shoegaze/post-punk/alt-rock stalwarts Starflyer 59. If you’re new, you might not know SF59, who’ve released 13 full-lengths, eight EPs and a boxed set in the 20 years Jason Martin has helmed the band. [Background: We have every one, and some T-shirts too.] [Deep background: Here’s a story I wrote on SF59 for the Times way back when.] It’s great to hear him here.

||| Stream: “Honest”

||| Previously: “Stockholm”