After earning high rotation on triple j as well as plays on iconic US radio station KEXP, Melbourne experimental-indie band Divers released their debut album last month.
Titled Odd Dog in the Capital, the diverse record finds Divers fully embracing their creative range, conjuring up their most confident collection to date.
“We released the shackles of rumination and perfectionism and said ‘let’s have a bit of fun’ during a 4-way handshake,” says drummer Tom. “The title represents how we feel like outsiders in the music scene. The discomfort and liberation of not fitting in.”
Following the release of Odd Dog in the Capital, Divers are taking their debut on the road for release shows in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide next month. Ticket information is available here.
In the meantime, read our chat with the band as part of our Up-And-Coming Australian Artists series below!
Divers’ Odd Dog in the Capital is out now via Community Music.
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Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How much did music influence you in your early life?
Divers: Music was massive for all of us. It was different per person but it all influenced us to pick up instruments and start playing in about primary school, and we all had encouraging parents to let us go down the rabit hole with it.
What artists influenced you growing up?
Our influences were The Beatles, Jamie T, Mac DeMarco, Radiohead, and Death Grips. It’s tricky to nail it down to a few, but I think these artists encapsulate our band pretty well.
What are some career highlights so far?
Highlights for us would be getting full rotation on triple j for the “Great Tree” — having our song played on national radio was a dream of ours since we were teenagers so it was pretty surreal when we found out.
We got to go on a national tour with The Terrys back in 2022. I was the first time we got to travel around Aus playing our music. It’s inspired us to be able to do something like that ourselves one day.
Having KEXP play “Head Chef” was pretty awesome. We’ve all been fans of their live performances and discovered a lot of music through them.
Releasing our album is insanely exciting, it’s been a goal of ours since we started Divers six years ago.
Signing to Domestic La La records for our second and third EP was pretty special as well. It was a great community there and we feel very grateful to have been a part of it.
Tell us about your latest album.
We were heading in a particular direction with our music that felt a bit predictable and obvious. There’s a few different sounds in our Google Drive so we decided to release something we were excited about at that time (which is Odd Dog in the Capital). We also just feel like these are songs we would show someone else if we were sharing music.
What kind of personality traits and values do you believe it takes to succeed in the music industry?
We don’t really know what it takes to succeed in the music industry. I wish we did though, so we could quit our jobs! But between ourselves we try to be supportive one another and keep choosing the thing we think would give a punter a unique experience. Being a general legend is important as well, nobody wants to spend long periods of time with a twat.
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How would you describe your music to a potential fan?
We’ve had a stylistic change-up for our album compared to what we’ve done in the past. The album is sometimes jarring, sometimes moody, and sometimes melancholy. It’s got a few different feelings on it, but I feel like it’s tight, groovy, and pretty straight, so if that’s what you’re in then come and sus us out!
What are your goals for 2026 and beyond?
We want to follow up our album with something interesting relative to Odd Dog, so we will be recording flat-out. We just want to make ourselves feel new things through music and then share it to whoever cares to listen. We also want to play some bigger shows of our own and get on the road again.
