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Oct 03, 2019 By Christopher Roberts The Divine Comedy

The Divine Comedy, the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon, released a new album, Office Politics, back in June (stream it here). Now he has shared a joint animated video for two of its songs: “Infernal Machines” and “You’ll Never Work In This Town Again” (which are being released as a double A-side single). Watch it below, followed by The Divine Comedy’s upcoming tour dates.

Pick up our current print issue (the My Favorite Album Issue) to read our new interview with Neil Hannon about his all-time favorite album.

Mathieu Persan directed and illustrated the video, which was animated and edited by Maéva Pensivy. The video has a retro vibe, as if the images were taken from the opening titles of some classic movie from the 1950s or early 1960s.

Hannon had this to say about the songs in a press release: “These two songs really are at the very heart of what I was trying to do and say on Office Politics. Lyrically; that I’m not greatly enamored of our rush to hand over our world and our lives to technology, and musically; that I would use all means at my disposal to properly frame these ideas.”

Persan had this to say about the video in the press release: “Between the lyrics and the versatility of the music style, there was so much to be inspired by. The themes involved have really fascinated me for a long time, and despite being rather pessimistic about the future, I wanted to carry a message of hope. I think the whole movie is just a praise for a more simple life, a bit further from technology and closest to nature.”

Office Politics was our Album of the Week and when it was released the album track “Philip and Steve’s Furniture Removal Company” made it to #2 on our Songs of the Week list.

Previously Hannon shared its first single, “Queuejumper.” Then he shared a video for “Norman and Norma,” the album’s second single (the audio for which was shared last month). The song is about the challenges of keeping the marriage spark alive as you get older and the black & white video illustrated the lyrics while also featuring images of Hannon performing the song on the piano.

Hannon had this to say about “Norman and Norma” in a press release: “I remember getting out of bed one morning singing something like the chorus. It’s always scary when you write an opening line like - ‘Norman and Norma got married in Cromer, April 1983’ - and you realize you’re going to have tell their whole story. I tried to set up the thrill of early married life in the first verse, and the struggle of middle age and family in the second, but the third was hard.”

Office Politics is the twelfth Divine Comedy album and the follow-up to 2016’s Foreverland. It’s billed as a double album. The deluxe edition includes Hannon’s original piano demos from the stage adaptation of Swallows and Amazons.

Read our 2017 The End interview with The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon.

The Divine Comedy UK and Ireland Tour Dates:

Sun 6th Dublin, Bord Gais Energy Theatre
Mon 7th Belfast, Ulster Hall
Tue 8th Cork, Opera House
Thu 10th Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket (SOLD OUT)
Fri 11th Birmingham, O2 Institute
Sat 12th Oxford, O2 Academy 1 (SOLD OUT)
Mon 14th Bristol, O2 Academy
Tue 15th Leeds, Beckett University (SOLD OUT)
Wed 16th Brighton, Dome (SOLD OUT)
Thu 17th London, Eventim Apollo
Fri 18th Manchester, Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)

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