Oslo Indie Duo Divest Share “By My Side” From Upcoming EP Out June 11

Oslo-based duo Divest have shared the joyous lead single “By My Side” from their upcoming EP Mercury Retrograde, out June 11th via Sellout! Music. The two long time friends and songwriting team Andreas Heinesen Kase and Hans-Ole Sponberg Larsen have been releasing music since 2019, and are continuing their momentum with the new release.

Combining the styles of The Who, Queen, and The Beatles, “By My Side” is an exciting, unpredictable, and upside down love song of sorts, that pushes the sing-along chorus hooks of ’60s TV pop with an attention-grabbing modern flare. With a bouncing, Beatles-esque verse, the song finds an equally powerful crunch on each chorus with a Foals-level wall of sound, all glued together by the piano-pop hook of the century “I’m hoping that you’re still by my side”.

While their previous releases have been more streamlined, this EP sees the band broaden their artistic expression, moving from genre to genre. “The EP covers a wide array of different genres, due to experimenting with our instruments and equipment,” says singer Andreas Heinesen Kase. “We treat the studio as a playground where we do what we want and never limit ourselves musically. The “Ableton Push 2” was a key tool on these songs, recording part by part and looping several sections of the songs.”

Even though the songs are all quite different, they all circle around the concept of Mercury Retrograde, as Kase elaborates: “Mercury Retrograde is an EP made up of four quite different songs about loneliness, despair, missteps and hope. All of the songs were written in a period of Hans-Ole’s life where things tended to go a bit sour. In a random conversation with two Polish twin sisters, Hans-Ole was made aware of the concept of Mercury Retrograde. Retrograde movement is when a planet appears to go backward in its orbit, as viewed from earth. Believers in the power of Mercury Retrograde blame the phenomenon for everything from car crashes to arguments during this time.”

Despite the dreary themes hidden in the new EP, the musicality suggests otherwise, and “By My Side” is a prime example of their misleading disdain. Stay tuned for more music and hear this song and more favourites on my Starting Line-Up Playlist.

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