Ears Wide Open: The New Division

Kevin Bronson on
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No mystery, judging from their name, what DNA runs through the blood of the Riverside quartet the New Division – although they could have called themselves “Joy Order,” we suppose. It’s what songwriter John Kunkel does with the ’80s electro and post-punk influences that’s special: He sprinkles his songs with fairy dust and light touches of effects, going for the dreamy rather than anything ironic or overtly reverent, and refrains from drowning them in fuzz. The new single “Walk in the Dark” is so pretty you can forgive the Charlie Sheen sample at the beginning. Kunkel, now aligned with bandmates Michael Janz, Brock Woolsey and Mark Michalski, has a nice run of releases going, starting with last year’s “Starfield” single and “The Rookie” EP, which came out in January.

||| Download: “Walk in the Dark”

||| Also: Visit Bandcamp to get “Starfield” (e-mail required) and to stream “The Rookie.”

||| Live: The New Division plays May 5 at the Echo.