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Rock band Divergent talk about all things “Rev It Up” the album with VENTS Magazine. The interview is below.
After growing up together and reuniting decades later, how does it feel to release your new album, Rev It Up?
James: It feels great! We worked hard on this second album and entered Sweetwater Studios with increased confidence after recording our first album in 2024. We spent most of 2026 releasing and promoting four singles from the album. We were more than ready for the full album to drop this last September.
Mike: It all feels amazing and to some extent, unreal. It was great working on the first album together and recording, but I think we all felt like we were exploring the possibility to find out if we were worthy. After we released the ‘Runnin’ Free’ album to the world and got some response, we gained enough confidence in ourselves to do it again and put the work into ‘Rev It Up’. I think what feels the best is that we all grew as musicians in the process because all the music was created by the three of us together. We weren’t playing covers anymore; it was what we created. Since it all sounds great, we feel a great sense of accomplishment. I think it feels unreal because it was a dream James and I had when we were 15 years old and we made it happen, with the help of his younger brother, Paul, and the wonderful facility and support of Sweetwater Studios.
Paul: It’s great to finally have all the songs out there for fans to hear. We released four singles leading up to the record and did so much more promotion for this album versus our freshman effort. It’s an accomplishment that we all get to share collectively. That’s the best part.
James, you started with around 30 songs before choosing the final eight. How did you decide which songs made the album, and how did Paul and Mike help?
James: I have a lot of unrecorded songs waiting in the wings. So it was easy to have a handful of songs that I knew would make it on our second album. However, we demoed a lot of songs just to make sure which ones rose to the top. A lot of magic happens when
the three of us start rehearsing because each of us throws in ideas that can really build a song out. I highly value the contributions that Paul and Mike make because they are both talented musicians who bring a lot of creativity to the table. It’s highly satisfying to watch our process play out.
Mike: From my perspective, we talked through everything and we each brought our thoughts and feelings about each song to the table and worked out the top contenders. As James says, he likes them all… and he’s admittedly biased because they are all his ‘babies’. I think Paul and I have a perspective of the consumer and a feel for the ‘likeability’ of the song. I like songs that allow us to add a groove or a powerful chord progression that I can enhance with my contribution. Our discussions are always calm and civilized. In my opinion, the results speak for themselves.
Your influences range from the Beatles and Queen to Boston and Whitesnake. How did those influences shape the sound of Rev It Up?
James: Those are all bands that we love and grew up with. So their influences are imprinted on our musical DNA. At the end of the day, those bands taught us that creativity and musical freedom are so important. We don’t like to get stuck in a rut and play the same style of music over and over. Our album Rev It Up diverges all the way from hard rock to pop rock. That’s the kind of musical range that keeps us engaged.
Mike: I would say our influences go beyond rock music to R&B, Fusion, and even Jazz. We are good to go on all of the rockers, thanks in part to the fact that James and I grew up on the folks mentioned in the question, among many other great rock bands. I’m also influenced by some amazing bass players, such as James Jamerson (Motown and other R&B artists), and Jaco Pastorius, who could play anything, but is probably mostly known for his work in the Fusion world with Weather Report and some of his solo albums. I also think that much of how Paul and I work together is influenced by his drumming talent and his individual influences. I like to think that what Paul and I come up with to support James’ amazing writing is the combination of all our influences and feel for the song. There are eight songs on the album, and I think it’s safe to say there are eight different sounds. Each one has its own feel.
Paul: I’d throw hip hop in there as a major influence for me personally. I love the Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest. I think this album has some beats that are reminiscent of 1990s hip-hop. Vocal harmonies are super important to us and the bands you mentioned have always had solid harmonies, and that’s a huge part of our sound as well.
The title track is all about muscle cars, speed, and living life to the fullest. What inspired you to write that song?
James: I usually write the music first. I came up with the riffs for that song, and I really enjoyed playing it because it rocks! The riffs reminded me of racing and driving fast out on the open road. So muscle cars came to mind because they are fast and loud and fun to drive. I went with that theme and the lyrics fell easily into place.
The album has a mix of hard rock and softer songs like “I Really Want To Love You (So Bad).” Do you enjoy exploring different sounds?
James: Yes, absolutely! That’s why we named ourselves Divergent. It’s just so interesting from a musical perspective to change things up. We have the musical chops to cover a broad range of music. So why not?
Mike: Exploring different sounds is essentially our charter. We named ourselves Divergent because we wanted to try out different sounds and genres, sometimes mixing them. In my opinion, ‘Morning Light’ is a very different sound than anything else we’ve done. I’m not even sure what genre it fits into. I loved playing on ‘I Really Want to Love You (So Bad)’ because it gave us a chance to play at a slower tempo and a very different feel than the rock songs. James is so good at coming up with different song ideas that we love hearing them the first time… we know it’s going to be different than anything he’s done before.
Paul: I don’t think I’d be a happy musician if I only played one style of music. Our influences come out in our songs, no doubt. It’s a little bit of yin and yang. The lighter tunes balance the heavy tunes. Having a diverse sound is part of why we do what we do.
Give Her Love” deals with an abusive relationship, while “Out of Love” takes a different look at romance. What inspired these two songs?
James: “Give Her Love” was influenced by the women in my life and extended family who have suffered from abuse. I grew up hearing about the stories, and it is really heartbreaking. I write a lot of songs about love and I get teased about it now and then. So “Out of Love” was purposely written as an “anti-love” song. Both songs are fictional but written to support their respective themes.
You worked with producer Jason Peets at Sweetwater Studios. What was that experience like, and what did he bring to the album?
James: I can confidently say that we love working with Jason. Although he is a lot younger than we are, you would never know it in the studio. He has a broad knowledge of music and, of course, he is very talented with all the recording technology. When we get going in the studio, we are all business, and we speak the same musical language. We highly value the contributions and ideas he brings to the table and it shows in our recordings.
Mike: Jason is an amazing producer, engineer, and now our friend. On this album, we recorded everything to a click track to make it simpler to identify areas to fix or improve. Jason really helped us understand the importance of using this tool to make the process more efficient. He also has an amazing ear for picking up minor issues, such as an instrument being out of tune or a drum sequence not being on time. These things didn’t happen often, but it’s much better to correct them right away than catch them later on when it’s more difficult to cut it in. He also helps us stay loose and keep it light. Sometimes recording can be a little frustrating because you want to play it perfectly, but the fingers aren’t cooperating. He would help us go back to get it right without making us feel like we made a mistake.
Paul: Jason becomes an integral part of the band when we get in the studio with him. He always brings a fresh perspective and pushes our sound to the next level. The guy is an immense talent behind that board, but is also a musician. I think that helps us to all get along so well. We’re all musicians first.
You’ve had a great response to your recent singles and videos. What has it been like reconnecting with fans and reaching new listeners?
James: It’s very satisfying to see our music connecting with listeners around the world. I write the songs in my home studio in Iowa, and it’s a thrill to see them embraced by so many people. It makes me want to keep writing and recording!
Mike: We have had a lot of fun seeing how far our music is reaching and who it connects with. We get comments from people all over the world; we have to use the ‘translate’ button quite a bit on the comments, which are always positive. It’s gratifying to know our music is positively touching people.
Paul: Having fans around the world is so cool. The videos help us provide a face to our music. It’s so important to stay on top so that your fans can feel like they’re making an authentic connection. Getting press like this is so cool too. Thanks!
Now that Rev It Up is out, what’s next for Divergent? Are you planning more music or live shows?
James: We are working on album number three right now. We just finished spending a week at Sweetwater Studios last September recording the bed tracks for 13 songs. This will be our biggest recording project thus far. This album is going to take longer to record and mix than the first two. We are employing a different recording process this time around that will allow us to record more songs on an album. In early 2027, we’ll start releasing and promoting singles that will most likely go on for most of the year. So stay tuned!
Mike: We have just finished recording our third album and it will have 13 songs on it. There will be a little longer timeframe for the recording process because we took a different approach this time. The three of us laid down the ‘base tracks,’ which are James’ guitar or keyboard, my bass line, Paul’s drums, and the majority of the vocals. James will go back in November to add guitar or keyboard solos and layers and any vocals that need to be added. After that recording is finished, Jason and James will work on the final mix and get each track exactly right. It will be next year
before we hear the final mix, but it will be worth the wait. We are very excited to get these new and divergent songs out in the world.
Paul: Would love to take the show on the road. Logistics are tough, but we’d love to make it happen someday. The third album is already in production, so we’ll release and promote that obviously when it’s time. But for now, we’re focusing on Rev It Up.
Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans?
James: We, of course, want to thank our families and our fans for all their support and encouragement. We couldn’t be where we are today without them. To be honest, I never thought we would be doing this at this level. It really is a dream come true!
Mike: We enjoy creating content for social media and getting more exposure that way. We always encourage our fans to follow us on their preferred platforms and keep streaming us as much as possible.
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