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I’ve been an avid fan of The Devlins since I first heard “Drift” (Capitol, 1993) upon release, and became a regular buyer of their subsequent albums. As their catalog grew, they stood out versus other bands in nearby sonic and geographic zip codes in the mid 90s like Hothouse Flowers, This Picture, and I’d argue even U2 (after ”Achtung Baby”). Listening again to “Years Could Go By” off The Devlins’ even better, lustrous sophomore effort, ”Waiting” (Universal, 1997), I’m amazed at how good it still sounds – guitars swirling amidst cracking drums and thrumming bass lines overlayed with Colin’s tempered yet passionate vocal.
Until last week I had no idea they were back together again (original line-up intact!) and working on LP number five. Colin Devlin (vocals, guitar, piano) and his PR team set me straight, as did a recent interview he did with Big Takeover’s Katherine Yeske Taylor, which deftly fills in gaps and provides “what, when, why” insights behind their sparkling new record, ”All The Days”.
Though the band has been inactive for some time on the recording front, Colin’s kept busy, delivering two strong solo albums, ”Democracy of One”, (Host Creative, 2010) and ”High Point” (Blue Élan, 2018), along with music he’s written for other artists and film and television soundtracks.
On “Days”, Colin’s songwriting chops are razor sharp. The LP comprises songs he wrote knowing they’d benefit from the full band treatment. Working on the blueprints of song arrangements and lyrics in Pasadena while he lives, Colin and bandmates including his brother, Peter Devlin (bass), Guy Rickarby (drummer) and Mark Murphy (guitarist), who are based in Ireland, reunited in Dublin for this record. It gave them a good excuse as great friends to get together again – a long overdue experience with Covid slowing any momentum they were building with live shows prior to the pandemic.
Further strengthening “Days”, the band benefited from working with Dublin-based schoolmate, old friend, and grammy-winning producer Rob Kirwan (Hozier, PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode, U2). It was critical to the band to retain a “live” sound with “Days” and by coming to the studio so prepared, the band readily arranged and recorded Colin’s songs with efficiency. Peter happily reflects on the results; the LP has “a very organic and real and live feel, which is missing in a lot of music now.”
The lead and title track, “All The Days” is a beauty, rich with Eno -esque synths (think “An Ending (Ascent)” off “Apollo”). The easy tempo allows for more spaciousness. Like many Devlins tunes, this one feels unhurried and uncluttered. As Mark says, “The new album has a lot of space on it. There are no in-your-face guitar solos, it’s all about the driving rhythm section and letting the songs shine through. It’s raw. I think it’s the band’s most honest album yet”.
“Days” also features a common lyrical tactic by Colin; repetition. His skill is in knowing when a refrain gets a message across to a listener without hammering them over the head. The song sets the thematic tone for the record, too, talking about time and its passing and how it impacts our human lives.
“Slipping Through Your Hands” follows and is classic Devlins with its blend of darkness and light. Sparse bass and drums set the stage for this gem – evoking a late-night, cross-the-desert-in-southern-California road trip. Reflecting on time again, “Slipping” talks about what we have to show for it, or not, as we age. Colin sings, “It’s been a long, long time since we left those dreams behind.”
“The Meadow” is another slow-burner and a highwater moment on “Days”. Acoustic guitar and a simple drum and bass rhythm support Colin’s dreamy vocal. Singing “deliver us from evil” like he’s genuinely praying for it, soaring sustained e-bow guitar notes give the song an unearthly feel. Minimal lyrics use a meadow as a metaphor for how ever-changing, short, and fragile life really is.
“Behind The Sun” grows and surges. Immediately grabbing with a flood of addictive hooks, it’s easy to see why Devlins songs find their way into television and film soundtracks. There are lyrical references to 80s band touchstones many fans will know and love (“Ocean rain, the man-machine | searching for a new gold dream”) and some they may not but that are dear to the band (Good Vibrations and No Romance are a bygone Belfast punk record store/label and Dublin punk clothing store respectively).
The new record flows like a calm river for the most part. Mellower song arrangements including the gorgeous “Dark Star” and “Holding On” work very well. The same with “Mine”, which also evokes hometown band U2 on “Stay (Faraway, So Close)”. Producer Kirwan may know this as well as anyone having worked on ”Zooropa” (Island, 1993) right around the time The Devlins released their first record.
The band wisely adds unsettling texture to “Days” too. “Future Ghost” has a muscular groove to it, built around a heavy percussive rhythm and choppy guitar picking. Colin creepily sings “If you kill me, I will come back as your future ghost”.
Nine tracks in, the band is still delivering. “The Frozen River” is single material that many bands would kill to have and place toward the front of the record. Like several other tracks on the record, piano figures prominently at the beginning, alluding to how Colin likely wrote the song and brought it to studio before the band contributed their parts and built up the song to its full potential.
The closer “Show Me Tomorrow” strikes a hopeful tone to wrap up a dynamic, potent album that is tinged with sadness. The past is the past, but it’s time to look forward. Colin shares, “After losing both our parents in recent years and confronting our own mortality, it makes you wonder, ‘How much time do I have left?’”
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