The inspiration for “It’s The Sky” can be traced to an unlikely source.
“The title comes from an article I read about the phenomenon of increased clear-air turbulence, which is a result of climate change,” says Diver Through frontman Michael Baynes. “It had sort of a funny-yet-frightening ‘is it me or is it getting worse’ tone. The answer was: ‘It’s not you, it’s the sky that’s changing.’”
Baynes took that metaphor and ran with it—and that sense of instability became an organizing principle behind the upcoming five-song EP I Want To Be Disrupted (Subluna), out November 6. Baynes had already scrapped much of the material he’d been developing in favor of songs that better fit Diver Through’s three-piece configuration with bassist Mikey Clams and drummer Ken Nasta. Though “It’s The Sky” arrived relatively late in the process, he immediately recognized its importance.
“I knew it was going to set the overall tone of what we were doing,” says Baynes. “I’m big on working and writing with titles and themes. It helps give me a little more structure.”
Working with engineer Reed Black, the Brooklyn-based group recorded the new EP live over two days at Vinegar Hill Sound in the borough’s Dumbo neighborhood. Of the 10-12 songs Baynes brought in, eight were tracked and five made the final cut. Two hadn’t even been played before recording began—a precarious approach that goes against the grain for a group whose melodic, atmospheric indie rock seems to demand a more meticulous approach. For its fourth release, Diver Through seems less interested in honing its sound than celebrating its more charming imperfections.
We’re proud to premiere Diver Through’s “It’s The Sky.”
—Hobart Rowland
