Life on the road can be grueling, and few people know it better than touring musicians. Nate Brenner, who writes and performs under the name Naytronix, has spent most of the last four years traveling the globe playing bass for tUnE-yArDs. It was during his time hustling to and fro helping Merrill Garbus bring her carnival of delights to the masses that Brenner conceived the sonic ideas behind his upcoming sophomore LP.
He took a batch of raw sounds from the road to the Oakland studio New, Improved Recording to collaborate with guitarist Mark Allen-Piccolo and percussionist Robert Lopez. The trio whittled the ideas down to nine songs, and with the help of a couple of fellow Oberlin Conservatory members, crafted Mister Divine.
Today, Brenner is premiering the title track of his new album, a floating, dream-like groove that channels the delicate vocal stylings of Arthur Russell—a departure from the dance-oriented sound of his first LP, Dirty Glow. Brenner’s gentle voice is joined by percussive clicks, off-kilter rhythms, and ethereal guitar, with a steady flow that’s periodically interrupted by electronic blips, mirroring the unpredictable, stop-and-go nature of constant travel. You can check it out below.
Mister Divine comes out October 16 on City Slang.
Mister Divine tracklist
1. Mister Divine 
2. Starting Over
3. Dream
4. Back in Time
5. The Wall
6. I Don’t Remember
7. Future
8. Living in a Magazine
9. Shadow
