Divergent are sharing their full-length Rev It Up, which showcases the full range of their musical identity.
Listen to the album here:
Lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist James Richards shares his thoughts:
“Even though I write all the songs for Divergent, most people won’t know the important role Paul and Mike played in curating the final list of songs on our Rev It Up album. We demoed about 30 songs for the album and, as the songwriter, I love them all, so it’s difficult for me to choose the best songs. As experienced and talented musicians, Paul and Mike helped us narrow the album down to the final eight tracks. It’s deliberately a team effort, and I highly value their input and contributions to deciding which tracks ended up on the album.”
Divergent’s three members met as kids in southwest Iowa and went to the same high school. Then life pulled brothers James and Paul Richards and their friend Mike McAlister in different directions for decades. In 2024 they reunited and started recording, finally chasing music they’d put off for about 40 years. They haven’t slowed down since. Rev It Up, their second album, is out today.
This is rock and roll the way it sounded coming out of a ’70s car radio. You can hear the Beatles in the melodies, Queen and Kansas in the ambition, Whitesnake and Boston in the guitars. James writes everything and demoed around 30 songs for the record. Paul and Mike helped him cut it to eight. “It’s deliberately a team effort,” he says.
Fans already know half of it. The title track is a hard-rock ode to muscle cars and horsepower. “I Really Want To Love You So Bad” swaps the riffs for piano and a soulful ache. “Give Her Love” goes dark, following a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, and “Out of Love” is what James calls an “anti-love song.” All four came with videos, and together they’ve racked up more than 60,000 Spotify plays.
Jason Peets produced the album at Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Crank it.
Divergent
James Richards – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
Paul Richards – drums, vocals
Mike McAlister – bass, vocals
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Photo courtesy of Divergent
