Divide and Dissolve, the sonic architects of powerful, instrumental narratives, are poised to unveil their latest creation, Insatiable, on April 18 via Bella Union. This album is a milestone for the band, introducing the potent element of Takiaya Reed’s vocals.
Regarding their single from the record, “Grief,” she says, “I felt like I was just trying to access a different part of myself, and also I’m a multi-instrumentalist, and the voice is another instrument. So when I was in the studio, I thought, ‘Oh, this feels like what I should be doing.’ I just gave it a try.”
The track is crafted to evoke a meditative and cyclical experience, reflecting the very nature of grief itself. “Something that I really wanted to access with the single and the composition process was creating a meditative vibe, like a drum. Along with the repetition of the words, I wanted it to be like a heartbeat because grief is so cyclical and meditative, it continues to go on and on. It’s like, I feel the grief of my ancestors. In the future, people will feel my grief as well. “
The album’s thematic scope extends far beyond grief, encompassing love, joy, and the relentless pursuit of liberation. “On this record, I wanted to talk about love, and I wanted to talk about deep joy, and also, I wanted to talk about how all that has the power to create a world in which Black liberation and indigenous sovereignty are able to exist, and working towards those things, and also people just being able to live with dignity and a sense of freedom.” This dedication to confronting systemic barriers is a hallmark of Divide and Dissolve’s work.
The present political climate, particularly in the United States, inevitably seeps into the album’s narrative. Reed emphasizes the lack of being rooted in time, though stating, “This record is a response to the past, the present, and the future. I continue to talk about the things that I’m in acceptance of, the things that I’m working towards, things that I may not feel or see the results of, and I feel like it’s an honor to do this thing, and those things were done for me as well. In terms of the current political climate, everything is connected. It’s not about just not about right now. It’s about what happened to get to right now.”
Overall, though, the record carries a message of love. Love is the highest power, and anything is possible,” Reed adds. “It’s really important to expand our own minds and hearts because change sometimes this is so hard to access, but the most important thing is just being open to joy, and to love.”
Surprisingly, not only because the album is so solid but also because time and money are scare nowadays, the record you hear with Insatiable is not the one Reed initially wrote to record this time around.
“It was very nerve wracking for me and vulnerable because I had a record I thought I was going to record, and then when I got to the studio, I wrote a new record on the spot, and I’ve never done that before,” she admits. “I don’t recommend it, but I just got there, and I was like, wow, my heart is in a different place, and I need to honor that immediately.” This impulsive decision, while daunting, ultimately yielded a more authentic and resonant work.
The fate of the original, unrecorded album remains uncertain. “Oh, I really like that record. I wouldn’t mind (releasing it)–Let’s see what happens,” Reed says of the abandoned work. “But right now, I feel super focused on Insatiable.” The speed at which the new album came together is a testament to Reed’s intuitive creative process.
Divide and Dissolve will embark on an international tour to support Insatiable, with dates confirmed in Australia, the EU, and the U.K, and U.S. dates to hopefully be added soon. As listeners prepare to immerse themselves in the album’s sonic landscape, they can anticipate a deeply moving experience—a testament to the power of vulnerability, the enduring strength of love, and the unwavering pursuit of liberation.
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