Kevin Devine has never been afraid to follow his songwriting instincts, whether they lead him to record and release two albums simultaneously (2013’s Bubblegum and Bulldozer) or take on an ambitious series of split singles with artists like Jesse Lacey of Brand New and Meridith Graves of Perfect Pussy (Devinyl Splits). So when Devine was driving through Manhattan one sunny day and his thoughts drifted to September 11, 2001, he knew that a song was brewing in his mind. The self-identified “lifelong New Yorker” later went home and wrote “No History”, the first single from his upcoming ninth full-length Instigator.
The song is vintage Devine, stringing together a series of vignettes that come across as both timeless and remarkably timely, given today’s toxic political climate and its roots in the aftermath of 9/11. As Devine explained to Stereogum:
“I wrote ‘No History’ last summer, after driving Manhattan’s West Side Highway home to Brooklyn from an early morning doctor’s appointment. It was 8am, and a lot had already happened that day, and the immediate sky was uninterrupted blue, and my mind was lazy, and I happened to look up at my left at the Freedom Tower, and I realized That Day in 2001 was a lot like this one. Memories and images tumbled and fought for space until the song had its shape. I’m 36 and a lifelong New Yorker and in many ways my life is pre/post That Day. That’s also true on a larger scale; a lot of present-day ugliness & scariness (not to mention the poisonous fruit we’re being served in place of sane civic discourse) has its roots in how Power reacted to what happened. This is a song tying moments together to shrink back to the personal, to reconnect to that meaning & narrative, to the kernel of humanity buried in the fog.”
Check out “No History” above. Instigator is out October 21st via Procrastinate! Music Traitors and Triple Crown Records; scroll down to see the album artwork and tracklist, as well as Devine’s upcoming tour schedule with Julien Baker, Pinegrove, and Petal.
Instigator Album Artwork:
Instigator Tracklist:
01. No Why
02. Instigator
03. Magic Magnet
04. Freddie Gray Blues
05. No History
06. Daydrunk
07. Both Ways
08. No One Says You Have To
09. Guard Your Gates
10. Before You’re Here
11. I Was Alive Back Then
Kevin Devine 2016 Tour Dates:
09/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Made In America
10/03 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
10/04 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
10/05 – Norman, OK @ Opolis
10/06 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs
10/07 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/08 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
11/01 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage #
11/02 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater #
11/03 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground *
11/04 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *
11/05 – Tampa, FL @ Orpheum *
11/06 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *
11/08 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
11/09 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Bar N Grill*
11/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge #
11/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram #
11/13 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s #
11/15 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios #
11/16 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey #
11/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Billboard Live #
11/19 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater #
11/20 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck #
11/22 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East #
12/01 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch #
12/02 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge #
12/03 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon #
12/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry #
12/06 – Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups #
12/07 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo #
12/08 – New York City, NY @ Irving Plaza #
12/09 – New Haven, CT @ The Ballroom At The Outer Space #
12/10 – Boston, MA @ Royale #
12/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
* = w/ Julien Baker, Pinegrove, and Petal
# = w/ Pinegrove and Petal