Divide the Day – Pretty Girls With Ugly Boys / 2005 Pluto Record / 14 Tracks / http://www.dividetheday.com / http://www.plutorecords.com / Reviewed 30 July 2005

One of the first things that a listener will hear about Divide the Day is their influences, pulling equally from the tough hardcore of the mid-nineties as much as the goth-punk of bands like AFI and Thought Riot. The leadups that are present on “File This Under Great Ideas At the Time” really give individuals a chance to focus into the band at an early juncture, and bind them ever closer to the band. The double-vocals (screamed/harmonic) may almost seem to be clichéd at this moment, but Divide The Day has two vocalists in Joe and Mike that are more than up to the challenge. “You Say You Want Space…” has so many different levels that it works on – one can glom onto the harmonic vocals, the Helloween-like guitars, the double-bass/high hat dichotomy of the drums, and still have other material to uncover on later listens. Divide The Day seems to have a tremendous challenge in trying to create differing material for each of their fourteen cuts on “Pretty Girls”, but really do it with liberal moves through a number of different genres.

For example, the rock-influenced sound of “Totally Outrageous Por Favor!” seems miles apart from the Duran Duran-esque spaces of “Jeff Mechie…”, and yet Divide The Day is able to succeed equally with both tracks. The trip that Divide The Day takes their listeners on is more than a simple blow past the sights type of journey, but an introspective sojourn through the entire depths of one’s soul. This is no better show than in “Strive”, an acoustic track that bares Joe’s vocals in two distinct ways, both through the traditional conveyance of vocals and even more succinctly through a devotion to instrumentation that far outstrips other comparable bands. While Divide The Day has been able to push over 3,000 of their CDs in the past few years, there is little doubt in my mind that the varied experiences that a listeners will have listening to “Pretty Girls” will ensure that the band pushes many more times their previous sales. A solid production that does not try to force Divide The Day into one genre’s box really allows the band to shine in their own way and on their own terms, something that many producers nowadays are loathe to do. Divide the Day will come to be a household name sooner rather than later, and “Pretty Girls” only expedites this process.

Top Tracks: Strive, File This Under Great Ideas At The Time

Rating: 6.4/10