EARLY LOOK: Dayfiction "Divine Intermission" EP Review

"Divine Intermission" Album Art

Elke Smits & Magda Kanecka | May 2026

The Virginia-based band Dayfiction has released their new single, “Benevolent” on 1 May alongside the announcement of their brand new upcoming EP titled “Divine Intermission”, available to listeners from 15 May: just two days from the day this article is released.

Dayfiction is known for their post-punk style and their abrasive energy combined with their grunge vibe. Earlier in 2024, they released their debut album “Blurry World”, which affirms their sound as unique and consistent. 

Their new single, “Benelovent”, reflects this perfectly in the song’s soundscape: the song is vivacious and leaves you craving for more with its opening guitar strings that carry on throughout the track, careful lyrics, and brilliant, emotive execution.

“Divine Intermission” was recorded back in January at Sound of Music Studios in Richmond, VA. It was the band’s first time recording together in a room, with frontman Evan Solomon describing that the band wanted to try something more challenging for them. 

The band has written the five songs over the last fall, and already played a few of them during their show at The National in Virginia, while supporting the Irish band Inhaler on their US tour.

The rest of the EP, aside from “Benevolent”, consists of four other brilliantly produced songs, with each one having its own vibe, seamlessly distinguished from one another. Because of this, it is safe to say Dayfiction is fantastic at maintaining their own complex sound, proving the band to be experimenting with the genre on a professional level. It is certainly post-punk at its core, wrapped with grunge and classic rockstar undertones.

The first song on the EP, “Spare”, is raw and vibrant, repeating the line “Is that what you want from me?” in the pre-chorus, as if questioning the subject of the lyrics about their intentions. Later, the lines “It’s nothing / It’s nothing / It’s nothing to me” are repeated, almost deliberately answering the question they set out before. As the first and the longest track on the EP, “Spare” does not disappoint.

This then flows into the bass-heavy “Castles”, leaning into a more gritty and edgy sound with more almost yearning vocals from Evan Solomon. The instrumentals pair with his vocals perfectly as he repeats the title of the track over and over towards the end, as if building up momentum before the next song begins.

And then there is “When Reason Comes To Call”, opening with drums that set the tone for the rest of the song. This track, as the lyrics describe, is rationalising situations that may not be in our favour: telling the listener that “now the truth ain’t as they tell”. The vocals are almost spoken here, and the chorus is mainly instrumental, which really allows the rest of the band to shine. On a track as emotive in its lyrics as this one, the silence in the chorus and the spoken vocals feel almost deliberate.

“June” is much calmer and sweeter than its precursors, with lyrics such as “when it all starts falling / I’m running off to where you are” in the chorus standing out. Instead of describing continued struggles, the closing track touches on motivations moving forward and leaning on the people in your life whom you trust in tough times. The song would sound great as a mid-point in a concert setlist, perhaps before an interlude or a break.

While the instrumentals are quite intense and present throughout this release, the more calm vocals lead to the EP being a unique mix of despair and acceptance. The band knows what they are doing with their music, as they create the right sensation for each of their songs. 

As Dayfiction is still growing its fanbase, they have already achieved a lot of positive feedback with the release of “Benevolent” and the EP. Here at BRUIT., having worked with Dayfiction in the past – view the interview here – we are as excited as ever for what’s to come for the band in the upcoming months.

Listen to “Benelovent” here!

Follow Dayfiction here!