DEVIN TOWNSEND
Written in just 11 days, Heavy Devy’s “party record” turned into his most personal project to date
WORDS: JOE DALY
Devin Townsend: bloody brilliant, even through his grief
DEVIN TOWNSEND: PRESS/TANYA GHOSH
23 DEVIN TOWNSEND
PowerNerd
INSIDEOUT MUSIC
Intense Devin? Mad Devin? Devin With His Hand Up A Puppet’s Arse? It’s anyone’s guess which Devin Townsend we’ll get with any given album. But here we got Accessible But Epic Devin. His 22nd solo album found this habitual over-thinker giving himself just two weeks to write it. The result was uncharacteristically direct; heavy on great, sweeping melodies and massive choruses. There was still some soul-searching, but tracks like Gratitude and Younger Lover sugared the pill brilliantly. And not a fucking puppet in sight.
Panic is a great motivator!” Devin Townsend laughs, cradling a coffee mug while settling back into a chair in his wood-panelled studio. Clad in a plush fleece hoodie and pyjama bottoms, with friendly brown dog Oliver nestled at his feet, he is as close to comfortable as a man could be while recounting the frenetic pace of making his latest album, PowerNerd. Written in just 11 days, the process was both chaotic and liberating.