As the 2010s drew to a close, Quivers found themselves on the ascent. They’d established a new lineup, and permanently relocated to Melbourne from their native Tasmania. They’d released two acclaimed singles, ‘You’re Not Always On My Mind’ and ‘When It Breaks’, which balanced a summery jangle-pop exterior and melancholic inner turmoil. American broadcasters NPR and KEXP co-signed their music, while at home they crossed a rare divide by getting played on both Double and triple j.
Like the band once prophetically sang, however, “When it breaks / It’ll break your heart.” March 2020, as with every other working band across the world, saw Quivers’ plans – from playing South By South West to recording the follow-up to their 2018 debut ‘We’ll Go Riding On The Hearses’ – disintegrate before their very eyes.
“We’re so glad we finally got it over the line,” says Sam Nicholson – Quivers’ lead singer, rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and founding member – when speaking of the band’s new studio album ‘Golden Doubt’.
“When the major stuff happened and we had to cancel the US tour, we still had the last bits to do on the album. Obviously, that got delayed – what should have taken a few weeks ended up taking nine months. It just completely slowed down. We still had the strings to do, as well as the choir.”
Some might argue that these two musical layers could be classed as luxuries rather than essentials, but Quivers saw these parts of their songs’ arrangements as the fulfilment of their greater sonic landscape they envisioned – and, as recent singles ‘Gutters Of Love’ and ‘Chinese Medicine’ are testament to, it’s hard to imagine ‘Golden Doubt’ without them.
