A bit of melodic rock! Oh yeah! This Silent Divide has delivered us a touch of punky, up-tempo indie/hard rock with their latest release Morning.

Lyrically, it raises the subjects of vulnerability and how one tightrope walks through the personal relationships in an uncertain life that we all experience. Recorded in Wellington at Surgery Studios, engineered by Toby Lloyd, the mix was then polished up in the mastering booth in Germany, by Robin Schmidt (Arctic Monkeys, Placebo and more).

This is very much a rock number that can sit comfortably with a range of line-ups, if you’re looking to book these guys. The aforementioned Arctic Monkeys, for example, thanks to the driving, indie-toned rhythm guitar; with 2023’s New Zealand heavy metal scene a la D****sk*n and that genre, with a vocal performance from Shaun Jones straight out of the leather and pyro scene.

The bottom end is thick, but not in your face, which works for this song. If I have one bit of constructive criticism it’s that I was hoping for a couple of bars of shredding lead following the bridge, but that’s a highly subjective observation and shouldn’t detract from the listener’s appreciation.

This is a very well crafted song, delivered by professional musicians who know what they want to sound like and can deliver on it. It certainly needs a video. It conjures up for me a live performance set in an open air venue, interspersed with some storyboarding backstage or nearby. It’s got that fresh, live vibe to it that would sit well with that imagery.

Most definitely a band to watch. Wellington boys, from that city currently delivering such a huge diaspora of sound.