L.A. Divine
| L.A. Divine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Cold War Kids | ||||
| Released | April 7, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 2016 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 43:13 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer | Lars Stalfors | |||
| Cold War Kids chronology | ||||
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| Singles from L.A Divine | ||||
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L.A. Divine is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Cold War Kids. It was released on April 7, 2017 through Capital Records. It is the first album to feature lead guitarist David Quon.
Background
The album name, a lyric from a song that did not make the record, reflects the recent rise of interest in Los Angeles.[1] Willett stated that "When you tour as much as we do, and you get back in the studio in the middle of it, you're kinda numb, it is hard to get that feeling back and this song was the real breakthrough. It's about supernatural love – looking for inspiration and meaning, surrendering to feeling, love calling out your name; that journey we must go on to find it."[2]
Singles
The first single from the album, "Love Is Mystical", was released on February 2, 2017. The second single, "Can We Hang On?" was released on March 2, 2017. The third single, "Restless", was released on April 6, 2017.
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 49/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| DIY | [5] |
| Paste | 4.6/10[6] |
AllMusic's Heather Phares found the album as a whole "a little less consistent than Hold My Home," with its needless interludes and the band's overwhelming intensity but gave praise for recapturing that record's "solidly anthemic sound" while adding a bit of pop music to it that's "reminiscent of Fun," concluding that "Nevertheless, L.A. Divine shows that Cold War Kids continue to expand their range – and if they're becoming more accessible with each album, it's on their own terms."[4] Paste writer Scott Heisel found the album "frustrating in its monotonous insistence on making everything sound the same, simultaneously trying to land every single song on SiriusXM's Alt Nation channel but not focusing enough on developing the personality of any one track."[6] Grant Rindner of DIY commented on the band's attempt to duplicate the sound they had with "First" saying that "there's logic to what's going on here but it still feels unnatural." Rindner added that "'L.A. Divine' is simply too rigid for Willett to shine. Joe Plummer, while undeniably talented, is a less subtle drummer than Matt Aveiro and locks Willett into predictable, percussive grids that give his voice a jarringly artificial, almost showtune quality."[5]
Track listing
All tracks written by Cold War Kids.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Is Mystical" | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Can We Hang On?" | 3:43 |
| 3. | "So Tied Up" (featuring Bishop Briggs) | 3:09 |
| 4. | "Restless" | 4:52 |
| 5. | "LA River" | 1:07 |
| 6. | "No Reason to Run" | 3:12 |
| 7. | "Open Up the Heavens" | 3:38 |
| 8. | "Invincible" | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Wilshire Protest" | 1:22 |
| 10. | "Luck Down" | 2:42 |
| 11. | "Ordinary Idols" | 3:30 |
| 12. | "Cameras Always On" | 0:35 |
| 13. | "Part of the Night" | 4:00 |
| 14. | "Free to Breathe" | 3:19 |
Personnel
Cold War Kids
- Nathan Willett – lead vocals, piano, guitar
- Matt Maust – bass guitar
- David Quon – guitar, keyboards, percussion
- Joe Plummer – drums, percussion
- Matthew Schwartz – keyboards, guitar, backing vocals
Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[7] | 69 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[8] | 9 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[9] | 10 |
References
- ↑ "Cold War Kids distill SoCal into "L.A. Divine"". The State. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ↑ Trendell, Andrew (February 2, 2017). "Cold War Kids unveil new single and video for 'Love Is Mystical' - NME". NME. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
- ↑ "Reviews for L.A. Divine by Cold War Kids". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- 1 2 Phares, Heather. "L.A. Divine - Cold War Kids". AllMusic. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- 1 2 Rindner, Grant (April 7, 2017). "Cold War Kids - L.A. Divine". DIY. Sonic Media Group. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- 1 2 Heisel, Scott (April 7, 2017). "Cold War Kids: L.A. Divine – Review". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ↑ "Cold War Kids – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Cold War Kids. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Cold War Kids – Chart history" Billboard Top Alternative Albums for Cold War Kids. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Cold War Kids – Chart history" Billboard Top Rock Albums for Cold War Kids. Retrieved April 18, 2017.