News
Plus Garbage, Deerhoof, Hotline TNT, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 11, 2025
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 11th Songs of the Week of 2025. It was quite a week for songs from ’90s artists. As a teenager, in 1995, I once saw Stereolab open for Pulp at the Brixton Academy in London and both those artists make this week’s list, as well as Garbage and The Divine Comedy. More
Rainy Sunday Afternoon Due Out September 19
Apr 08, 2025
By Mark Redfern
The Divine Comedy (the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon) has announced a new album, Rainy Sunday Afternoon, and shared its first single, “Achilles.” More
Jenkins Covers Animal Collective’s “It’s You” and Peter Bjorn and John Cover The Divine Comedy’s “Songs of Love”; Covers of Covers Due Out March 4, 2022 via American Laundromat
Jan 31, 2022
By Mark Redfern
In December we announced Covers of Covers, our first album, and today we are sharing two more singles from it: Cassandra Jenkins’ cover of Animal Collective’s “It’s You” and Peter Bjorn and John’s cover of The Divine Comedy’s “Songs of Love.” Covers of Covers is due out March 4, 2022 via American Laundromat. More
Listen to “Home For the Holidays” and Watch New Year’s Eve Performance of “Something For the Weekend”
Jan 03, 2022
By Joey Arnone
Two days before Christmas, The Divine Comedy (the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon) shared a new song, “Home For the Holidays.” It will be featured on their forthcoming compilation Charmed Life - The Best of the Divine Comedy, which is due out on February 4, 2022. On New Year’s Eve, the band performed their 1996 song “Something For the Weekend” on The Graham Norton Show. More
Issue 69 Has Two Cover Group Shots Featuring Grandaddy, CHVRCHES, Kamasi Washington, Bat For Lashes, Weyes Blood, The Divine Comedy, Elbow, Nilüfer Yanya, Miki Berenyi, The Horrors, and Rose Elinor Dougall
Dec 21, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our new print issue, which is our special 20th Anniversary Issue. It’s a double issue celebrating two decades of the magazine (our first issue came out in December 2001). The issue has shipped out to subscribers and stores and can now be bought from us directly here. The issue features two special covers, each featuring a different group of musicians together. More
Plus The Soundcarriers, Boy Harsher, Tears for Fears, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Dec 03, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 45th Songs of the Week of 2021. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because of Thanksgiving, so this week’s list includes songs from the last two weeks. Even taking into account two weeks worth of songs, the pickings were a little slim. We came up with 10 we liked. More
Charmed Life - The Best of the Divine Comedy Due Out February 4, 2022
Nov 23, 2021
By Joey Arnone
The Divine Comedy, the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon, has shared a video for his new song “The Best Mistakes.” The video, directed by Raphaël Neal, alludes to the artworks of many different singles and albums from across Hannon’s career. It is the latest release from his forthcoming greatest hits album, Charmed Life - The Best of the Divine Comedy, which will be out on February 4. More
Plus Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, Field Music, Colleen Green, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 10, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 34th Songs of the Week of 2021. There were a whole lot of new songs this week, even though Monday was a holiday (Labor Day) here in the U.S. We narrowed it down to 12 favorites this week, with lots of good honorable mentions too. More
Watch the Video for “Infernal Machines” and “You'll Never Work In This Town Again”
Oct 03, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The Divine Comedy, the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon, released a new album, Office Politics, back in June. 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). More
Issue 66 Features Musicians and Actors on Their All-Time Favorite Albums, including Tegan and Sara, Wilco, Weyes Blood, Sigur Rós, Fred Armisen, Topher Grace, Jay Baruchel, Low, and more
Sep 27, 2019
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar is excited to announce the My Favorite Album Issue, our new print issue in which we speak to musicians and actors about their all-time favorite album. The issue features Angel Olsen and Sleater-Kinney on the two covers and is available to buy directly from us here, as well as being distributed in stores nationwide (on newsstands, in such stores as Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million, and elsewhere). More
Plus Blanck Mass, Bon Iver, Japanese Breakfast, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 07, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. There were several notable albums announced this week, which meant some strong opening singles to choose from, as well as a few album tracks. More
Plus Stream New Albums from Palehound, Younghusband, Silversun Pickups, Pixx, Stef Chura, and More
Jun 07, 2019
By Mark Redfern
The Divine Comedy, the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon, has released a new album, Office Politics, today via Hannon’s own Divine Comedy Records and it’s our Album of the Week. Find more info on the album below. More
Jun 07, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The Divine Comedy, the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon, has released a new album, Office Politics, today. Now that the album is out, you can stream the whole thing here. More
Office Politics Due Out This Friday
Jun 03, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The Divine Comedy, the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon, is releasing a new album, Office Politics, this Friday. Previously Hannon shared its first single, “Queuejumper.” Now he has shared a video for “Norman and Norma,” the album’s second single. More
Office Politics Due Out June 7
Apr 05, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
The Divine Comedy, the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon, has announced a new album, Office Politics, and shared its first single, “Queuejumper.” Befitting its title, the album was announced via an amusing fake office memo from Hannon. More
Issue 59 Also Includes Interviews with The Avalanches, Death Cab for Cutie, The Divine Comedy, Rose Elinor Dougall, Foxygen, Jagwar Ma, Jim Jarmusch, Jens Lekman, Mogwai, My Morning Jacket, The Radio Dept., R.E.M., Savages, Weyes Blood, and Much More
Dec 30, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
Under the Radar is excited to announce the full details of our joint Best of 2016 / 15th Anniversary Issue, which is out now digitally via Under the Radar’s app and the magazine app Readly. The print version is about to ship out to subscribers and stores and will be on all newsstands soon (as well as available soon digitally via the magazine apps Zinio and Readbug). The issue celebrates the best albums of 2016, reflects on Under the Radar‘s 15th anniversary and albums released in 2001, looks forward to albums due out in early 2017, and features The Flaming Lips on the cover. There’s also a big article examining how the music industry has changed in the last 15 years and in our Artist Survey section various musicians comment on the music and events of 2016. More
Foreverland Due Out September 2
May 18, 2016
By Christopher Roberts
The Divine Comedy, the orchestral-pop project of Northern Irish singer/songwriter/composer Neil Hannon, have announced a new album and a bunch of European tour dates. Foreverland is the band’s eleventh album and it will be released on September 2. More
Plus: Paul Rudd vs. The Divine Comedy, plus interviews with Broadcast, Grandaddy, The Flaming Lips, Bat For Lashes, Rilo Kiley, Broken Social Scene, and much more
Oct 19, 2011
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar is excited to announce the release of the indie music and entertainment print magazine’s 10th Anniversary Issue which hits newsstands next week. The extra-sized 10th Anniversary Issue features cover artists Joanna Newsom and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold together in an exclusive photo shoot and joint interview. Exclusive video taken during the cover shoot of Robin Pecknold and Joanna Newsom arm wrestling can be found here. More
At Least $2.00 off Most Back Issues
May 14, 2010
By Laura Studarus
Sad but true, sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. Well, sad for us that is. Swamped with back issues—which I’m all sure we can agree is a good thing—Under the Radar is passing them on to you with a sale on selected issues. The question is, can you have too much of a good thing? We’re offering two dollars off most available back issues! More
Out in the U.K. May 31st, Stateside June
Apr 09, 2010
By Laura Studarus
After indulging his sporty side with last year’s cricket-themed, Duckworth Lewis Method, Neil Hannon is back with a new Divine Comedy album, Bang Goes the Knighthood (out in the U.K. May 31st, Stateside June). We have the track list. More
Interviews
Dec 23, 2020
By Andy Von Pip
After 30 years in the game, The Divine Comedy’s louche mastermind Neil Hannon has marked the occasion with a sumptuous re-mastered 12 CD box set: Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time – Thirty Years of The Divine Comedy. Under the Radar caught up with him, and from his home in County Kildare, Ireland, he chatted about the box set, his career to date, his flirtation with mainstream pop superstardom…oh and that sitcom theme tune. More
"Every track is just like a world in itself and doesn't seem to bear any relation to normal musicianship."
Feb 10, 2020
By Hays Davis
Once Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy begins to describe why he cites Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love as his favorite album, it’s clear how much of a personal impact those songs have had.
"There is no hell this devil-bloke could devise which could match what is performed on a daily basis in the meat industry."
Mar 10, 2017
By Mark Redfern
To end out the week, we ask The Divine Comedy frontman/main creative force Neil Hannon some questions about endings and death. The Northern Irish singer/songwriter is known for his highly literate and often amusing orchestral pop songs (“The Booklovers” from 1994’s Promenade consists of Hannon reading off a list of his favorite authors). More
Dec 30, 2016
By Laura Studarus
It’s nine at night, and Neil Hannon is happily ensconced in his studio, gin and tonic in hand. He apologizes for his current mindset, which he describes as somewhere between post-dinner mental fuzz and naptime. More
Oct 07, 2010
By Hays Davis
Neil Hannon has been happily plowing his particular furrow of witty, theatrical pop for more than two decades as The Divine Comedy. After years of freely employing horns and strings to a pop framework that has avoided seeming dated thanks to the alternately current/timeless sense of his lyrics, Hannon is presently preparing songs for an upcoming U.K. musical based on the children’s book, Swallows and Amazons. We spoke to Hannon about Swallows, the new Divine Comedy album (Bang Goes the Knighthood), extremely long vocal notes, the future of The Duckworth Lewis Method, and Doctor Who.
More
Reviews
Aug 31, 2016
By Lily Moayeri
In 2010, The Divine Comedy‘s Neil Hannon put together the music for the musical Swallows and Amazons. This endeavor was a long time coming with The Divine Comedy’s albums becoming increasingly more theatrical. More
