Photo by Shervin Lainez

When we last checked in with our old friend Kevin Devine, he was ruminating on the legacy of 9/11 in “No History”, the lead single off his forthcoming ninth full-length, Instigator. Devine has a tendency to sway back and forth between acoustic singer-songwriter melodies and all-out rock jams, and “No History” embodies the best of both worlds. The same can be said of “Instigator”, the new record’s title track and second single. This is a song that could only have been written by someone nine albums deep into his career; there’s nothing particularly complex about the progression of power chords in the chorus, yet the melody takes on a timeless quality that’s as pleasant as it is hard to pin down.

“’Instigator’ started off as a few lines about songwriting, or mine in particular, and became a kind of mission statement about making sense of yourself and your relationships at least partially through the exercise,” says Devine. “It was early in the process of putting the album together, at home last summer, kicking things around, and those easy, open-strummed power chords kinda tumbled into that first verse, tongue-in-cheek, kind of self-admonishing in playful way, and it all just kind of kept tumbling into the chorus.”

Let’s hope the rest of Instigator tumbles along in a similarly catchy fashion. The album will be released October 21st via Procrastinate! Music Traitors. Listen in to the title track above.

Instigator Album Artwork:

Kevin Devine 2016 Tour Dates:

10/03 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s ^

10/04 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway ^

10/05 – Norman, OK @ Opolis ^

10/06 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs

10/07 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits

10/08 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon ^

10/18 – London, UK @ The Forge ^

10/19 – Kingston, UK @ Banquet Records ^

10/20 – Brighton, UK @ Komedia (Studio Bar) ^

11/01 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage #

11/02 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater #

11/03 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground *

11/04 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *

11/05 – Tampa, FL @ Orpheum *

11/06 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *

11/08 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *

11/09 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Bar N Grill *

11/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge #

11/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram #

11/13 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s #

11/15 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios #

11/16 – Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey #

11/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Billboard Live #

11/19 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater #

11/20 – Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck #

11/22 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East #

12/01 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch #

12/02 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge #

12/03 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon #

12/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry #

12/06 – Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups #

12/07 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Cattivo #

12/08 – New York City, NY @ Irving Plaza #

12/09 – New Haven, CT @ The Ballroom At The Outer Space #

12/10 – Boston, MA @ Royale #

12/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #

01/16 – Cologne, DE @ Underground

01/17 – Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher

01/18 – Berlin, DE @ Kantine Am Berghain

01/20 – Wiesbaden, DE @ Schlachthof

01/21 – Schorndorf, DE @ Manufaktur

01/22 – Vienna, AT @ Chelsea

01/23 – Milan, IT @ Magnolia

01/24 – Zurich, CH – Eldorado

01/26 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix

01/27 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg

01/29 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla

01/30 – Nottingham, UK @ Bodega

01/31 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute

02/01 – Glasgow, UK @ Stereo

02/02 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club

02/03 – London, UK @ The Dome

^ = Solo Show

* = w/ Julien Baker, Pinegrove, and Petal

# = w/ Pinegrove and Petal