L.A. Divine
The cover consists of a palm tree in a suburban neighborhood during sunset. One word from the band is on each side of the cover.
Studio album by
Cold War Kids
ReleasedApril 7, 2017 (2017-04-07)
Recorded2016
GenreIndie rock
Length43:13
LabelCapitol
ProducerLars Stalfors
Cold War Kids chronology
Hold My Home
(2014)		 L.A. Divine
(2017)		 New Age Norms 1
(2019)
Singles from L.A Divine
  1. "Love Is Mystical"
    Released: February 2, 2017
  2. "Can We Hang On?"
    Released: March 2, 2017
  3. "Restless"
    Released: April 6, 2017
  4. "So Tied Up"
    Released: August 8, 2017

L.A. Divine is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Cold War Kids. It was released on April 7, 2017 through Capitol Records. It is the first album to feature lead guitarist David Quon, replacing Dann Gallucci.[1]

Background

The album name, a lyric from a song that did not make the record, reflects the recent rise of interest in Los Angeles "as a place where culture, restaurants and things are happening".[2]

On the first single, "Love Is Mystical", Nathan 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."[3]

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. The fourth single, "So Tied Up" featuring Bishop Briggs, was released on August 8, 2017.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic49/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
DIY[6]
Paste4.6/10[7]

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."[5] 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."[7] Grant Rindner of DIY commented on the band's attempt to duplicate the sound they had with "First" saying "there's logic to what's going on here but it still feels unnatural." Rindner added that the record was "simply too rigid for Willett to shine", commenting that drummer Joe Plummer was less subtle in giving him "predictable, percussive grids that give his voice a jarringly artificial, almost showtune quality."[6]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Cold War Kids

No.TitleLength
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

  • 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 performance for L.A. Divine
Chart (2017) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8] 69
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[9] 9
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[10] 10

References

  1. ↑ "Cold War Kids on Instagram: "Backstage in Brazil . Welcome to our great friend and new guitarist Dave Quon. We recently parted ways with our mate Dann Gallucci . We…"". Instagram. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  2. ↑ Shaw, Erin (March 2, 2017). "Cold War Kids distill SoCal into "L.A. Divine"". The State. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  3. ↑ Trendell, Andrew (February 2, 2017). "Cold War Kids unveil new single and video for 'Love Is Mystical' - NME". NME. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Reviews for L.A. Divine by Cold War Kids". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "L.A. Divine - Cold War Kids". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Rindner, Grant (April 7, 2017). "Cold War Kids - L.A. Divine". DIY. Sonic Media Group. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  7. 1 2 Heisel, Scott (April 7, 2017). "Cold War Kids: L.A. Divine – Review". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Cold War Kids Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Cold War Kids Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Cold War Kids Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
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