"Adult Diversion" is a song by Canadian

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band

Alvvays Alvvays (pronounced "always") is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and currently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin (vocals and guitar), Kerri MacLellan (keyboard ...

. The song was released on October 28, 2013 as the second single from their eponymous debut album. Written by vocalist and guitarist Molly Rankin, guitarist Alec O'Hanley, and bassist Brian Murphy, it is sung from the perspective a lover who develops an "unhealthy fixation" on their partner. The song was produced by

Chad VanGaalen Chad VanGaalen (born 1977) is a Canadian musician and artist from Calgary, Alberta. Career ''Infiniheart'' Following a few scattered independent releases, done mostly on homemade CDs with hand-drawn art, VanGaalen released ''Infiniheart'' (2004 ...

and recorded at his studio, Yoko Eno, in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. It was accompanied by a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, filmed on a

Super 8 camera A Super 8mm camera is a motion picture camera specifically manufactured to use the Super 8mm motion picture format. Super 8mm film cameras were first manufactured in 1965 by Kodak for their newly introduced amateur film format, which replaced th ...

, featuring footage of the band performing and hanging out at the beach. "Adult Diversion" was the second song the band released; it debuted digitally via the band's website before the band was signed to a label. In the band's home country, it was later released on

Royal Mountain Records Royal Mountain Records is a Canadian independent record label and artist-management company, based in Toronto, Canada. The Royal Mountain roster currently consists of more than 30 active artists including Alvvays, Mac DeMarco, and U.S. Girls. Thei ...

; in the U.S. and Europe, it was distributed through

Polyvinyl In polymer chemistry, vinyl polymers are a group of polymers derived from substituted vinyl () monomers. Their backbone is an extended alkane chain . In popular usage, "vinyl" refers only to polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Examples Vinyl polymers are ...

and

Transgressive Records Transgressive Records is an independent record label based in London, formed in 2004. Its founders, Tim Dellow and Toby L, first met at a Bloc Party gig organised by Toby's Rockfeedback website. The label's debut release was "1am" by the Subwa ...

, respectively.

Background

The song was born out of Rankin's boredom while working at a smoothie hut in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, where the band had recently relocated. "Only one or two people would come in during the day and usually only to use the

washroom A bathroom or washroom is a room, typically in a home or other residential building, that contains either a bathtub or a shower (or both). The inclusion of a wash basin is common. In some parts of the world e.g. India, a toilet is typically i ...

. That song spawned out of admiration from afar and spending a large chunk of time alone." ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' contributor Sarah Greene described it as "a love song written from the perspective of a drunk stalker."

Reception

"Adult Diversion" was instrumental in developing momentum for the group, who signed to Canadian indie label Royal Mountain a month after the single's release in October 2013. They were subsequently signed to US-based Polyvinyl Records, who released a 7" record of "Adult Diversion", with "

Archie, Marry Me "Archie, Marry Me" is a song by Canadian indie pop band Alvvays. It was released on April 6, 2013, as the lead single from the band's eponymous debut album (2014). "Archie, Marry Me" examines modern romance and traditional marriage, and touche ...

" on the A-side, exclusively to mail-order subscribers. Simon Vozick-Levinson from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' called the track an "instant rush of jangly emotion," while Stuart Berman at

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

also complimented its "buoyant surf-tingled jangle." Sam Willett at

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

dubbed the tune a "whimsical dream jam" that reaches "staggering highs"; he praised its "perfectly-sewn guitar arrangements and sweet female vocals." Gabrielle Sierra, writing for ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' called the single catchy, highlighting its "dreamy, deadpan vocals and retro sound."

Track listing

Cassette

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''Alvvays''

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

. ;Alvvays * Molly Rankin - guitar, vocals, songwriting * Alec O'Hanley – guitar, vocals, keyboards, additional mixing * Brian Murphy – bass guitar * Chris Dadge – drums ;Production * Chad VanGaalen – producer, recording engineer, programmer, tambourine, bongos * Graham Walsh – additional tracking * Jeff McMurrich – additional tracking * John Agnello – mixing * Ian McGettigan – additional mixing *

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bisho ...

–

mastering engineer A mastering engineer is a person skilled in the practice of taking audio (typically musical content) that has been previously mixed in either the analog or digital domain as mono, stereo, or multichannel formats and preparing it for use in distr ...

* Steve Fallone – additional mastering

References

{{authority control 2013 singles 2013 songs Alvvays songs