Phonotonal
Divina Icon

Divina Icon
Little Devils

Androgynous musicians can take many forms. From the subtle eyeliner of Nicky Wire to the full-on thong wearing of Brian Molko (don’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it). Opting for a 50% Gender-Bending rating, Divina Icon mix the eye-shadow and red lipstick with a punky-goth image that adds a bit of gruff to the gloss.

Musically, a vocal along the lines of Mansun’s Paul Draper (but more drooling) gets mixed with a combination of punk, rock and pop instrumentation to create a glamorous rock and roll sound. The title track, ‘Little Devils’, is a riffy rocker with pulsating keyboards and a stripped down verse that adds layers upon layers until it reaches the bouncing chorus.

‘Top Floor’ kicks in with a bass and guitars combining like two sides of a zip. With the biggest chorus on the record, this track also benefits from a sugary verse and all-out pop bounce. With a switch from subtle electro-pop to loud pop-rock, ‘World Addict’ supplies something a bit different to the other tracks, which tend to rock things up from the word go.

Divina Icon have clearly spent a similar amount of time getting their music together as they have in front of a mirror (which is a lot of time) and the result is a slick sound. The only criticism of this record is that it doesn’t contain a lot of surprises, but perhaps they’ve saved those for Mick Dundee!

Written by Smith on

Stuart 'Saur' Smith was a prolific writer for The Mag throughout the magazine's lifetime. He combined a day job of temporary office jobs in London with a nightlife of trawling the capital's music venues looking for talent. As well as writing about music, he was a session musician who featured on a number of singles in the 90s. Today, Stuart is a Chief Writer for Phonotonal.
Stuart Smith

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