Divorcer

***Divorcer formed in late 2016 in a booth at Duffin's Donuts in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and that's perfect, because just like a donut, Divorcer is a treat. And after two cassettes—Debt Jubilee (2019) and Nutty Grotto (2022)—the band has made a delicious donut of its own with Espionage, their vinyl debut. Arty and aurally reminiscent of the Raincoats, Rose Mercie, Young Marble Giants, Marine Girls, and Dolly Mixture, Espionage’s four playful tracks swell with unanticipated changes that leave the listener wondering if this is still the same song, or even the same band. But the ingredients are there, they're just mixed up a little differently each time. There's call-and-response singing, whisper singing, singing in rounds. All four band members sing, and the straightforward instrumentation all works to serve the lyrics. Frank, funny, sharp, and skewering, the lyrics are a highlight, and Divorcer knows how to emphasize them. Layering lush melodies over "crying on the outside, crying on the inside" wryly increases the melodrama of the third track, "Crying." The final track, "Leech," is the most rocking of the bunch. "He's a leech, and he's sucking me dry, dry dry," goes the refrain, leading the listener to this expertly honed barb of a line: "You're so quick to point a finger (he's a leech) / Let me get you a mirror (he's a leech) / If you look a little closer (oh he's a leech) / the monster will appear (he's a leech)." Divorcer has a lot to say, some of it serious. But while they're stuck here in this weird, messed-up world, they're going to have some fun—and take a bite out of it, too.