‘We Are Divine’ begins with the stargazing slackerism of ‘Space Liner’, half mellow indie jangle, half King Missile, half English, half French. David Thayer’s flat, twangy spoken sections, in which he delivers densely-packed meditations and (pseudo)scientific theses, contrast neatly with Laetitia Sadier’s melodius vocals.
Drifting slide guitar sees ‘Ben’s Boat’ float into the proggy, trippy ‘Unicorn’, and while Thayer’s singing suggests he’s better sticking to his spoken delivery, it’s still a triumph of hazy mellowness, which is also true of the wonky alt-pop of ‘We Are Divine’. The laid-back jazz groove of ‘Free Your Mind’ may be a shade tepid retro fashion, although it’s interesting to hear Thayer get philosophical as he reads an appropriated article from Snoopman News. The final track, ‘Have a Balloon’ completes the album’s overall arc that bridges the gap between Pavement and Stereolab via a 70s loungecore jazz filter.
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