I miss a fair few things right about now. I miss the warmth and possibility of summer; I miss New Zealand in its entirety; I miss the Home Ice Cream truck as it drives down the streets of New South Wales. I miss the salty smell of the beach; the endlessness of a blank page and the fresh leather seats of a brand new car. While I could talk for hours on end about each of these, it is something else entirely that I'm going to discuss.
Don't you love the rush you get when you buy the brand new album that your favourite band has just released? You egg on the download bar on iTunes (because pirating is bad); you open the CD case with trembling fingers for the first time, careful not to break the fragile plastic case, bend the booklet or leave fingerprints on the disc. Okay, maybe the digital download is more common these days, but I still like to buy CDs every so often- the commonality of that is another thing I miss.
But I digress. However you purchase it, it's exciting to finally have this brand spankin' new album in your possession. That's how I felt about every single Short Stack CD I ever purchased. You groan, but please bear with me.
The Stack boys have come to "call it a day", and while it is a saddening reality for Stackettes everywhere, it is also an exciting prospect to see where the break up will lead us next. With Shaun, we've seen just today what exactly is in the works.
Shaun Diviney- or Diviney, to use the name of the new solo project currently underway- has released a brand new track, You're So Cool, which was aired at 7.30pm on Australia's Hot30 Countdown with Matty and Mel earlier tonight, and the video posted on YouTube, reaching 302 views within 3 hours, as can be seen here:
You're So Cool- Diviney
Right from the announcement of You're So Cool's release, Diviney was subject to high expectations. Short Stack's critics would surely be listening for any tiny flaw in the music and be poised and ready for a smooth takedown; former Stackettes struggling to come to terms with the break up looking to point fingers would sit by and/or boycott the music entirely; and of course the true fans, willing to support the boys, hoping not to be let down by some techno-top 40 track.
Personally, I like the new sound; however it is incredibly different to the sound of the Short Stack of former years. Obviously, this is the idea- of growing up and changing styles; maturing as a musician and a writer- but it's what Stackettes are used to and we (including me, but perhaps not you), have loved for the eight years the band was around. As a positive, it reinforces Shaun's capability to create a danceable and interesting track in a vast amount of musical styles; which has been evident since the early days of Short Stack. While still solidly in the pop-rock/punk-pop genres, no two songs sounded the same and each album remains wildly different from the rest.
In addition to the Stack albums is, of course, Diviney's first solo release, You're So Cool. The track is catchy and easy to dance and sing along to, however it sounds very different to the upbeat, fun hooks of the debut Stack Is The New Black (released 2009); the much more mature, darker and edgier, This Is Bat Country (released 2010); and, judging by the two tracks which were released and featured on Short Stack: The Story So Far, the third and unreleased Art Vandelay.
While Short Stack fans used to the dance-your-heart-out nature of Princess, more mature and long term fans may find solace in Diviney's You're So Cool, discovering that the differences in style and sound, realising that these diversities are still true to the tastes of the musician and do nothing detrimental to the prospect of a musical future. I look forward to hearing more works in the near and distant future, and I believe that many long term fans will stand by Shaun on his journey.
Sayonara, fellow ninjas!! xoxo
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