Divided Heaven Releases Collection LP.
Since the start of 2022, Divided Heaven has kept busy with the release of their fourth album titled Oblivion, East & West Coast shows with Chuck Ragan and Frank Turner, and releasing singles that included covers of Descendents and The Beatles.
Jeff Berman has truly been burning the candle at both ends for the last couple of years and it’s all culminating with the release of a new singles collection titled V. Putting together the new songs, covers, singles and rarities for V granted Jeff the opportunity to look at the songs from a new perspective and reimagine them when necessary. It also provided Jeff with the opportunity to collaborate with some of his favorite artists, such as Jared Hart (Mercy Union), Matze Rossi, Sam Russo, Tiny Stills, Joy Weather, and more. One of the highlights of the album is a track titled “Em”, a memorial to Emily Matview (Punks in Vegas) who tragically passed away in 2021. You can read more about that track as well as well as additional context around the entire release by reading this brand new interview with Jeff that was conducted by Bearded Gentlemen Music. V is available now on all of your preferred streaming platforms and a limited edition lathe cut vinyl via Mt. Crushmore Records.
Last year, Divided Heaven released their ambitious fourth full length, titled Oblivion, which includes guest appearances and tracks produced by Charlie Stavish (Jenny Lewis, Vacation Manor), Tim van Doorn, Mike Biancaniello (5 Seconds to Summer), and UK folk powerhouse Frank Turner. It’s an eclectic mix of pop, folk, and indie rock all wrapped in a punk mindset with soaring production quality. Oblivion is also available on all digital platforms and physical copies can be purchased from both Divided Heaven and Gunner Records (UK/EU).
V
1. The New Hallelvjah (feat. Sam Russo)
2. We
3. Em (feat. Joy Weather, Brian Ishiba, No Red Alice & Mercy Music)
4. Best Friends
5. Eleanor Rigby
6. Clean Sheets (feat. Matze Rossi)
7. Tomoe (American Heart)
8. The Filthy 15
9. Time After Time (feat. Tiny Stills)
10. Because You’re Young (feat. Jared Hart)
11. The White Rose
12. Generator (feat. Girlgoyle)
13. Lifers
14. In My Life
Release Date: November 17th, 2023
Label: Mt. Crushmore
Format: Digital | Lathe
Purchase
Jeff Berman has not made it easy on himself. For the past 12 years the DIVIDED HEAVEN frontman has tried relentlessly to buck the typical singer-songwriter mold with his unique writing style and career path. The new DIVIDED HEAVEN album, Oblivion, out February 4th on A-F Records (US) and Gunner Records (EU), blazes that ambition forward with a bang, a dash of weird, a pinch of Satanism, and a heavy dose of sex and politics resulting in an unapologetic and provocative DIVIDED HEAVEN album like none before.
“I had to write a record that matched the times: delicate to chaotic, heartfelt to dirty,” says Berman. “Before, I would’ve shied away from topics such as sexual assault and victim blaming but this time I called-out the disgusting misogyny (in the track ‘Reckoning’) and threw shade at the abusers in our music scene (in the track ‘Creep’). Before, I might’ve tried to portray some semblance of decency about my fellow citizenry; this time I lament that goodness and kindness are losing the culture war (in the track ‘Panic’) and trolling is rewarded over intelligence (in the track ‘Burn Me’).” Oblivion is the most ambitious DIVIDED HEAVEN album yet, as Berman states, “I landed at the geographic musical midpoint of my heart: directly between (Carole King’s) Tapestry and (Motley Crue’s) Shout At The Devil. Odd as that may sound, that helped guide my attempt to combine sensibility with attitude and helped me shift from Americana to overdrive rock.”
Over two years, Berman enlisted four different producers to create a diverse vibe across the 10 tracks on Oblivion. Once again working with longtime producer Charlie Stavish (who most notably worked with Jenny Lewis, Vacation Manor and produced the lead single from Oblivion, the politically scorching ‘They Poisoned Our Fathers’ which features the incomparable Lydia Loveless), Berman also worked with UK-Singer-Songwriter juggernaut Frank Turner, whose production brought a whole new power to a DIVIDED HEAVEN album. In addition, Berman recorded three tracks for the album in Antwerp, Belgium with producer Tim van Doorn (longtime producer for Joe McMahon and Tim Vantol) who brought out the most graceful songs of Berman’s career, including the second single ‘Baby in the Band’. Lastly, pop producer Mike Biancaniello (who has notably worked with 5 Seconds of Summer) highlighted a new vivid hue to Berman’s songwriting to round out the album.
Either solo or with the band in tow, DIVIDED HEAVEN are equally proper on festival stages at Punk Rock Bowling, SXSW and the FEST as they are in the seated listening-rooms of Hotel Cafe and the Ramones Museum and has shared stages with Dave Hause, Matze Rossi, Anti-Flag, Ryoko, Spanish Love Songs, Slingshot Dakota, Jared Hart, The Flatliners, Sundowner, Tiny Stills and many more.
Photo:
Sarah Berman