Melbourne's divedown announce their signing to Ninth Life Records and share brand new single, 'Blame Game'

There’s a new voice in the Melbourne alternative rock scene with divedown, who have announced their signing to Ninth Life Records, as well as unveiling their debut single, ‘Blame Game’.  

A track that’s been years in the making, “Blame Game” offers a relatable first look at what's to come from the newcomers, led by Sam Bianco, who took on frontman duties after years of trial-and-error writing and encouragement from friends,“I’d been writing demos for this project for over three years, but was never really happy with anything I wrote," says Sam. "I was brand new to singing and ended up taking on the role because we couldn’t find anyone else, plus some encouragement from mates.”

“Blame Game” sees divedown throw shoegaze haze and alt-rock noise into a blender with the kinetic bounce of pop-punk. It’s wrapped in thick, velvety fuzz — the kind that hits like nostalgia and cushions every chord. The rhythm section hammers its way through the track, locking into a relentless pace, while the vocals lean into emo territory without tipping into cliché. The real trick here is how divedown ride that energy for a good three-quarters of the song — a glorious wall of guitar and grit — before yanking it all back into a cheeky, sludgy breakdown that drips with slow-burning heaviness. It’s dynamic, self-aware, and seriously satisfying.  

Sonically landing mostly in pop-punk territory, “Blame Game” explores the feelings of messing something up and scrambling to win it back. It’s a fresh new opener from a band with no interest in staying locked to one sound. "This track is more pop-punk leaning, but we’ve got some bigger rockier tracks and some softer slower ones too. We aren’t too keen on pigeonholing ourselves into one specific sound, we’d rather have fun with it and write what feels right to us at the time."  

While divedown is a new name, its members may be familiar. A supergroup of sorts within Melbourne’s alt community, the band brings together vocalist and guitarist Sam Bianco, guitarist Michael Romeo, bassist Josh Godwin, and drummer Jake Leahy, each with a background respectively in beloved local outfits like Set The Score, Weighbridge and Parkwood.   

Their signing to Ninth Life Records, already home to a small community of emerging alternative acts including Talk Heavy and Bad Neighbour, marks an early milestone for divedown. “It’s 100% our biggest win so far,” Sam says. “We've barely even announced yet so we are super appreciative of the opportunity they are giving us and the help, advice and encouragement so far. Its made the whole process a lot easier and allowed us to do this properly."  

With influences spanning The Story So Far, Free Throw, Movements, Citizen, Modern Color and more, divedown are ready to make some noise and leave their mark.

"Blame Game" is out now and streaming everywhere via Ninth Life Records.