Hater

Event Information

Divine Schism bring Scandinavian indie pop four-piece Hater back to Oxford, ending a three-year hiatus following their formidable third album Sincere with the release of Mosquito, an intriguing dream pop drama played out across eleven gripping instalments of self-examination.  

On Mosquito, Malmö-based Hater sound rejuvenated – creating a mix between the raw indie-pop energy that they’ve become known for, and a more direct, polished songwriting. The band have refined their shoegaze roots into something sharper, more melodic, and deeply resonant. Mosquito overflows with stories where mythical twists (vampires, Cupid, mosquitos) are underpinned by the sad-eyed yearning for true love. But this is not your typical gushing album about love the band are keen to point out.

“I don’t think we strove to write love songs really; I was surprised when we stood with a whole bunch of them.” Says Caroline. 

She continues, “There’s no song about ‘smootchy smootchy love you to bits’ on Mosquito. More about having your heart scratched, butterflies in your stomach, feeling empty and heartbroken, the physical feeling and rollercoaster of being.” 

By example, 'Angel Cupid' unfurls in slow motion, a gorgeously controlled diatribe against bland love songs when you’re locked out of that emotion yourself. Caroline adds, “All the music I normally loved seemed without spirit. I was angry with love poems; I couldn’t stand listening to some of the really great love songs. I envisioned Angel Cupid as a weak little pink worm, completely and utterly rubbish at shooting arrows in my direction." 

The curious lead single 'This Guy?' is a mystery in itself: the tale of a strangely confused interloper, unidentified and unidentifiable – and the band themselves call it “a quiet confusing song”. Måns comments," I love the fact that the verse is complete weirdness, and the chorus is clear as day." 

Entering an echoey cavern of gothic strangeness, “Stinger's” insistent drums and Caroline’s lyrics worm into the inner thoughts of a love struck supernatural. Caroline says, "I’ve got no idea what a vampire’s brain fever feels like, but I thought it might be similar to heartache, and that’s the essence of it all." 

'Landslide', the opening cut is all chiming guitars and ethereal vocals floating above that somnambulist moment, to which Måns adds, "It’s those thoughts at 3am when your past ambushes you, turning your head into an unsecured tumble dryer." 

An emotional rollercoaster by any other name, Mosquito spills over with half remembered broken hearts and broken promises, filled with torture and tingle, yet punctuated by hopes and dreams for future resolutions. 

Mosquito was recorded in the splendid isolation of AGM Studios in Vollsjö, Sweden, with long-time collaborator Joakim Lindberg at the controls and bassist Adam Agace returning to the fold. They completed the project at Lindberg’s famed Studio Sickan, with Caroline Landahl, Måns Leonartsson, Rasmus Andersson, and Adam Agace all contributing equally to a sound that morphs between punchy introspection and melancholy realisation.