Divines are a Polish freak pop band based in Warsaw. They recently released their first EP “The Decisive Moment”, and new video to song called “Children Of The Sun”. Band now changed a bit their line-up, and the trio has become a duo. I spoke with Divines singer about their music journey and plans for the future. Using their own slogan from their facebook page, “this is Divines, bitchez…”
– In Divines you combine electronic music, pop, disco and funk. Do you do it on purpose or it just come out naturally, from your heart and soul?
For us, creation is a very spontaneous act, it’s as if music was just appearing, coming out of nowhere, bursting. It’s also a matter of experience, things you were listening to in a past, things you are listening to now, influences, moods, present surroundings, but in the end that’s what it is –an appearance. Parts of ourselves are crystalized in this music. It’s forming inside, and then changing its shape outside again. Quite a long process, nothing more enjoyable and satisfying in the whole world though.
– You describe your music as a freak pop. But as we can see on the video to “Neverending Stories”, seems that its a freak music created by freaks…
We often talk about joining a circus business – hell we would fit! There was always something bizzare, something queer about us, why do you think we adore Waters, Divine, Ed Wood? Being a freak is not only a certain image, it is, however silly it sounds, sort of a lifestyle. If you decide to be a freak, to act like a freak, you gotta take all the responsibility for how you’ll be perceived by other people. Sure they will laugh, they will point you out, but that doesn’t matter, what really matters is to discover the phantom of the liberty we live in. We disguise to uncover disguised society. Normality is a disease. The only way to achieve something extraordinary is to become extraordinary.
– What is the difference between your old band Games People Play and new band Divines?
Although it might not be obvious at the beginning, there’s an abyss between these two. When we started making music we were young, unexperienced, trying to make witchhouse or whatever, just some poor kids willing to be alternative. Divines is different, it’s sunny, it’s fun, it’s passion and satisfaction, it’s hard work and learning at the same time, Divines is made to succeed.
– You are currently working on your EP, how it’s going? When we can expect more music from Divines? What’s your expectations and goals?
We just put out our first EP – “The Decisive Moment”, but it contains material we made quite a long time ago, probably last autumn. Our music was still evolving until now, I think this is the moment we found out exactly where we fit (and I don’t mean a circus). For next two months we intend to hide in a rehearsal room with new synthesizers and samplers and prepare something really dope.
Divines, “Children Of The Sun”
– Is it easy to be a young band in Poland?
It is almost impossible. I’d say on every step they try to convince you in more or less offensive way that you’re not a musician, but an embarrassing kid playing for parents in a basement, not funny enough to laugh at, not important enough to abuse. After three years of that you gain surprisingly strong urge to get the fuck out of here (that we intend to do, anyway). Actually it’s quite good if they abuse you, usually they refuse to notice the fact of your existence.
– Please tell me more about Warsaw. How this city changed in the past few years? Is it easier now to make music there?
Warsaw is changing, for sure, becoming more social, colorful, fancy, life moves from interior to the city itself, cafes, clubs, little restaurants. Let’s say it’s a European city now. Is it easy to make music here? Hard as hell, but there’s nothing hard enough for a make-believer.
– I would describe your music as joyful – there’s more happiness in there than melancholy. How to create happiness in song? (In my opinion it’s easier to create sad song than happy one)…
To create happiness, you gotta be happy. Stop worrying about trivial shit, drop negative thoughts, pull yourself together, understand you are what you want to be and love, love, love life with all your powers, love from the core, to the core, forever and don’t you stop believing. Then, and only then, you gonna create a real happiness in a song.
– Your music is very original, maybe influenced by other musicians, but not imitating them. Is it easy not to imitate other bands, artists?
There’s this saying I absolutely agree with, that all is a remix. Everything you make will always be a variation of something previously made. We are all just combining parts of things we saw, we listened to, and then calling it something new, that’s why it’s practically impossible not to imitate other artists. The real challenge is to combine it in a way nobody ever did before, in a spectacular, astonishing way – as Cocteau said, to make a casual object of an interest, an unexpected one.
– What would you like to say to people in the UK and around the world, reading this interview and checking your music? Any message from Divines to the world?
Never stop believing.
Check out Divines facebook page https://www.facebook.com/divinesmuzik for more info
