When Vance Joy releases new music, fans feel it like the first burst of summer air. One listener put it simply: “Another banger in time for summer!!” And with the Australian summer just around the corner, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. The new track carries all the marks of a classic Vance Joy song — upbeat, feel-good, and made to soundtrack warm nights and long days.

That’s the kind of affection Vance Joy inspires — an artist whose songs don’t just land, they live with you. His newest double release, “Divine Feelings / Fascination in the Dark,” arrives not only as a gift for fans but as a snapshot of his own life in motion. Since the release of In Our Own Sweet Time in 2022, Vance’s world has expanded and slowed in equal measure. He married the love of his life, moved full-time to Barcelona, and became a father. Out of those seismic changes, these two tracks emerged — stories of connection, spark, and the thrilling uncertainty of what comes next.

“Fascination in the Dark” leans into that electric, half-wild moment of locking eyes with someone across the room — or, as the lyrics paint it, “through the smoke, the wine, the thick conversation…” It’s a story of chemistry born in shadows, alive with horns, a surging chorus, and the unmistakable pull of possibility. If Divine Feelings is about the tenderness of a first encounter, Fascination is its darker, more daring twin: the adrenaline of a glance that changes the whole night.

The vision comes alive in the cinematic video directed by W.A.M. Bleakley. We meet Erana James in a dusty outback gas station, her face hidden under a balaclava. Tom Wilson stands behind the counter. Their eyes meet, just for a moment, before chaos erupts — a robbery, an escape, a dive into reckless freedom. What follows feels part Bonnie-and-Clyde, part fever dream: stolen moments by a campfire, dancing under stars, the intoxication of running wild together. The clip closes by opening the door to Divine Feelings, a clever crossover that makes the two songs feel inseparable.

While these cinematic lovers tear through the Australian outback, Vance Joy himself has been causing a quieter kind of chaos across North America. Between sold-out shows, he and his band have been slipping into pubs and surprising unsuspecting fans with secret gigs — from New York to St. Augustine, to a final Los Angeles pop-up. The highlight for many? Singing back the call-and-response of Fascination in the Dark, voices rising as one. In those moments, the music isn’t just his anymore; it belongs to everyone in the room.

That has always been Vance Joy’s gift. From Riptide to Georgia, from Nation of Two to In Our Own Sweet Time, he has built a career out of songs that feel both intimate and anthemic — love letters disguised as singalongs. Now, with “Divine Feelings” and “Fascination in the Dark,” he’s reminding us once again how universal those small sparks of connection really are.

There’s another album on the horizon, though Vance isn’t rushing to reveal its shape just yet. For now, these twin tracks stand as a bridge between where he’s been and where he’s going — a celebration of love, risk, and the sheer joy of what might come next.

And for Australian fans, the wait to hear them live is almost over. After tying up his North American run, Vance Joy will return home to play Harvest Rock in Adelaide on October 25, right in time for those long, warm summer nights his upbeat, feel-good songs seem destined to soundtrack.

Read our Vance Joy interview

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and chief editor of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.