Division of Laura Lee – Leif On Mars?

Swedish band Division of Laura Lee has produced a new album…but we can’t have it yet. In several interviews, the band members have teased us with the album’s existence, even hinting that the album has been recorded and produced (as in this DJ set with Danger Radio). On one of the band websites, there’s even a picture of the unnamed tracks and the working title of the album, “Leif On Mars.” But instead of following up all this hard work with some kind of release, the word from Jonas Gustafsson (DoLL singer and guitarist) is “We have recorded an album, and now we do not know what to do with it.” (Source in Swedish)

Why the coyness when the last album was stellar? If you haven’t caught the garage-gone-melodic sounds of Violence is Timeless (and there’s a good chance that you didn’t, the iTunes/Bandcamp release was extremely quiet), at least you can check that album out. The band’s been around since the 90s, and all of the members (also including Per Stålberg, David Fransson, and Håkan Johansson) are sound musicians with other projects under their belts. The production of Violence is Timeless returned to the punk ethic of DIY, with video content invited from the fans (with the best ones published on the band’s website), a partnership with the Stockholm-based production company I Made This, and some well-recieved concerts near the band’s home. This hunkering down to the band’s roots has created a bit of confusion in the US, however. “Bet you didn’t know Division of Laura Lee were still a band, did you? I sure didn’t,” said one fan.

Could it be that the coyness comes from being chronically misunderstood by the US media? Article after article compares the band to the other Swedish band that made it big here in the early 2000s, The Hives. A better comparison would be to the tough yet melody-driven sounds of …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. Also, there is no good musical comparison. The band’s music exists at the nexus of a bunch of musical influences, and mostly they sound like Division of Laura Lee. The music is tight and lyrically interesting, so while we wait, check out last year’s release. And let’s hope we can hear the new album soon!