L.A. Unheard: The New Division's reclaimed new wave
The band: The New Division, a Los Angeles quartet.
The sound: On debut album "Shadows," the group offers a fresh take on the '80s melodrama Interpol and the Killers revived a decade ago, serving up brooding vocals and synth bedding as industrial-grade drum machines hammer down from above. On album opener "Opium," the band extends a druggy lament with cut-to-ribbons vocals and a climactic four-on-the-floor beat, a rock/dance marriage that serves as an effective template for the rest of the collection. Think New Order for the Skrillex set.
The random: The New Division began as a solo project in John Kunkel's college dorm in 2005, with the rest of the quartet joining the equation two years later.
The details: "Shadows" came out Tuesday.
The music: Hear "Opium" below.
The New Division - Opium by dangervillage
-- David Greenwald
Photo: The New Division. Credit: Colson Knight
