DeVotchKa | photo by Manmade Media | courtesy of the artist
DeVotchKa returns with a powerful, complex new single called “Angels”
DeVotchKa has tried their hand at everything from scoring film soundtracks to performing with symphony orchestra. Their discography demonstrates an impressive range. The last album DeVotchKa released was seven years ago, but don’t mistake their absence for passivity. After downsizing to playing gigs at smaller, more intimate venues, the band embarked on the creation of a new album. The result, This Night Falls Forever, is scheduled for release August 24 via Concord Records. In a press release, lead singer and songwriter Nick Urata says that the album is a self-exploration of his past.
“One common thread in these songs is their sentimentality. When you first discover rock and roll, that’s usually the same time you’re discovering girls or boys, when everything is so romantic and huge—that era of your life is where these songs are coming from. The songs are usually the same, thematically: why don’t you love me, why did you leave me, I don’t love you anymore, I miss you, I want to die…there’s only a couple themes when you break it down. I’ve always dealt in romance. I don’t know what else to write about.”
The band’s sound is historically eccentric, genre-jumping, but they’ve carved out their own niche by drawing from various cultural influences, pairing instruments that normally might clash. The latest track off the upcoming record, “Angels” is instrumentally complex and powerful, the lyrics confessional, almost prayer. It is shadowy and theatrical, driven by Urata’s compelling vocals. It builds without flatlining, a continuous ascension.
DeVotchKa plays WXPN’s Free at Noon concert on August 24th; to RSVP for tickets, click here.