From the beginning, Divergent vowed to live up to their name, exploring the unpaved, treacherous, and tantalizing roads of rock without a map, guided instead by an adoration for intricate sound and a deep respect for the genre. When they first stepped into the studio, they had no idea that their music would reach thousands of fans worldwide, or that they’d be itching to do it again as soon as possible. Now, that moment has arrived—Divergent’s first departure from the hard rock image they’ve chiseled over the last year and a half, a la “Give Her Love.”
Taking a leap of faith 40 years in the making, teenage friends James Richards (guitar, keys, vocals), Mike McAlister (bass, vocals), and James’ brother Paul Richards (drums, vocals) reunited to reignite the creative drive long set aside for everyday life. Their debut record focused on channeling that determination and passion into fulfilling a lifelong dream. Writing and recording together after decades apart, they quickly found their footing, developing a collaborative, democratic process that allowed each member in the trio to sculpt their vision one song at a time. Having built a reputation for hitting the road with style and speed with blazing tracks like “Rev It Up” and “Runnin’ Free,” Divergent now sets sail into open waters, steering towards a shimmering, soul-soaked vibration redolent of the Motown era.
Doused in dreamy piano riffs, a full-bodied bassline, ultra-satisfying cymbal splashes, and a laid-back beat that sways like a paddle boat on the bay, “I Really Want To Love You (So Bad)” at first feels like a classic love song, ignited by passion and scorched with desire. From the moment he wakes to the moment his head hits the pillow, the narrator can think of nothing else, his soaring harmonies and moonstruck declarations landing like Cupid’s arrows into a haze of pure longing that engulfs him. But a closer listen reveals how those two little words, “want to” betray the distance between the desire and his reality. Though his feelings are all-consuming, nearly unbearable, he’s already sown the seeds of doubt. “I don’t know if you really see me…” he admits, and that hesitation lingers. Until he feels truly seen, deeply wanted, and fully understood in return, he holds back the dreams he so desperately longs to share.
Bolstered by Divergent’s engrossing, R&B-inspired melody, the accompanying “I Really Want To Love You (So Bad)” lyric video subtly amplifies the indomitable pull of this bittersweet romance. Brought to life in collaboration with HIP Video Production, its abstract, subdued aesthetic mirrors the track’s sense of total immersion, of drifting away in a current that can’t be stopped. Shimmers of light catch the eye at every turn, floating and flickering against the backdrop of the narrator’s heartfelt, at times heavy, confessions. Yet there’s never a moment where the darkness fully takes hold. Even when it feels like they’re thousands of miles apart, caught in “the separate lives they lead,” faint flickers of starlight peek through, suggesting his wish may still come true.
What inspired “I Really Want To Love You (So Bad)”?
James: The song originated with an idea I had to write and record some very soothing and chill piano music for my daughter to use as background music while studying for law school. I worked out a very beautiful chord progression that I really liked. The more I played it, the more musical ideas I developed, and soon I had the music for the verses, bridge, and chorus. It all just easily fell into place. At that point, I knew I had a good song, and so I started working out the melody and the lyrics. The music is so beautiful and dreamy that it reminded me of how I felt when I first developed feelings for my wife, Jacque. The lyrics came quickly because I totally lived through every word of the song.
Mike: James will need to answer the question about the genesis of the song, but I can talk about my thoughts on how the song came together and the vibe we tried to create. James and Paul put the initial arrangement together, which in this case was the keyboard and the drums. When I listened to it, my mind went back to the slow Motown songs of the late 60’s and early 70’s. My appreciation for all kinds of music started around that time, and I believe my take on this song in 2025 was that it needed that kind of bass line. As it is with all of our songs, it is a combination or amalgamation of various styles that create our original music. Each of us brought our individual feel for the song to the table, and the end-product is pretty amazing, in my opinion.
The song is about love mixed with doubt. What were you trying to express there?
James: The song is about how attraction can first develop from a distance, where you are not in a relationship yet with the other person. As your feelings grow, you begin to wonder if they have the same feelings that you do. However, they don’t know the extent of your feelings for them. So, there’s a limbo period where you’re looking for any reciprocal signs of interest. Meanwhile, your feelings continue to build and grow until they become unbearable. Fortunately, when I finally expressed my feelings to Jacque, she reciprocated, and our love exploded like a powder keg! It’s still exploding 30 years later!
Mike: I think James does a great job with the lyrics he creates, and this is another example of his magic. As he explains it, it started as a series of beautiful chord changes on the keyboard that eventually evolved into a song that most of us can relate to – an admiration or desire for someone who is not aware of our feelings.
How did the Motown/R&B feel come into the music?
James: It wasn’t my intention when first writing the music to purposefully go for an R&B feel. However, after I wrote the chorus, I recognized an R&B influence. I was like, ” Wow, this is cool. I think having an open mind and listening to all genres of music allows you to unconsciously draw from those influences. I love great R&B music, and it certainly works well with the love sentiment of the song. The great thing about collaborating with Paul and Mike is that they are accomplished and well-versed musicians. Of course, they picked up on the R&B groove right away and took off with it. Mike’s bass playing fits the song like a glove. His bass runs during the bridge are particularly well done. Paul’s drumming and cymbal work on the song are fantastic. I never knew how well-placed cymbals could have such a dramatic impact on a song. Sometimes, I listen to the song just to hear Paul’s beautiful cymbal splashes. Also, Paul’s background singing is spot-on and totally captures that R&B vibe.
Mike: In my opinion, we don’t usually have an intentional feel or plan for a song at the beginning of the process. In this case, the song evolved into an R&B feel once we worked out the bass and drums. I felt a Motown vibe, as I said above, and tried out a moving bass line on the guys when we were putting it together. I credit James and Paul with their great arranging skills to bring me a wonderful demo to work with. I think the bass line ‘serves the song’, and the overall product appeals to our fans.
Paul: From the onset, James wanted this to have a classic-sounding love song feel. James was inspired by a tune Lady GaGa and Bruno Mars did a couple of years ago, and that influenced his vibe. The song had a couple of different drum and bass combinations before we settled on the groove. Once we got into rehearsals with Mike, things started to really gel, of course. From there, each musician shines in their spots. It’s a fun tune.
What was the idea behind the lyric video?
James: Actually, my wife, Jacque, is the one who had the creative vision for the lyric video. Since she has a personal connection to the song, she had strong feelings about how the video should be portrayed. She was adamant that the video should not show actual people, faces, or realistic images. I really didn’t have a strong idea for the video, so Jacque was the one who ran with it. I’m glad she did!
How did you want the visuals to match the song’s mood?
James: Her idea was that the video should visualize in an abstract way the strong feelings of love and the romantic mood that the song inspires. That turned out to be a harder challenge than we expected. The images had to be just right, and it took several attempts at looking at different ideas before we could dial in the right images for the song. We wanted the images to be abstract, yet they had to create that romantic, dreamy, love-haze feel of the song. We got there in the end, and I think we got it right!
What do you hope people take from this new direction, and anything else you’d like to share before we wrap up?
James: I hope people take away that Divergent is not a one-trick pony. We don’t want our music to get stuck in one lane all the time. The three of us value independent thought and the freedom to be creative. I believe we have the musical chops to handle a broad diversity of musical ideas and to do them well. We want to attract discerning listeners who value creative freedom. In my mind, our challenge going forward is to continue to build our sound and to increase the use of production techniques in the recording studio to achieve greater levels of creativity.
Mike: Divergent’s ‘charter’, if you will, is not to be boxed into any particular genre or style. It’s fair to say that James and I grew up in a time of amazing rock and roll, and it is in our roots. However, over the 50 years since our high school days, we’ve played and been exposed to so many musical styles. Paul also brings his musical experience and influences to the table. He played in a college jazz band and can play the drums to anything we put together, so it’s great to be able to try different approaches to the original music James writes. I hope our fans who are enjoying our growing portfolio will appreciate the breadth of our musical range. There are five more new songs that haven’t been released yet, and we can’t wait to get the rest of the album out in the world this summer so our fans can better appreciate how ‘divergent’ we really can be. Lastly, we will be back in the studio this September and can’t wait to create more great music for everyone!
Paul: One thing with Divergent is that nothing is ever going to be the same. We love all types of music, and I think that is evident in our sound and the music we create. We are a chameleon in that we can weave in and out of different genres, and it’s still our sound in the end.
Follow Divergent
https://www.facebook.com/
