‘Do You Get The Shivers?’: Monty Havers Releases Stirring Solo Debut Single

There’s nothing quite like seeing an old flame in a new city and feeling your body go into meltdown while your brain tries to catch up. It’s a sensation Monty Havers nails perfectly in his new single Do You Get The Shivers? “The ‘shivers’ is that feeling when you see someone like an ex and your heart drops and it almost tickles your spine,” he explains. 

Having first tested the waters as lead guitarist of Midnight Curfew, the track sees him striking out solo and channeling a more vulnerable, introspective side. But whether he’s creating danceable indie with his bandmates or baring his soul, he’s come to relish the healthy creative potential of Liverpool’s music scene. “I find there are so many passionate people and so many opportunities to collaborate and enjoy,” he reflects. “It feels like there is a venue on every street, this city is amazing.”

Though Liverpool didn’t feel quite so hospitable to begin with. When Havers first moved here to study, he was deep in the throes of a break-up and struggling to make sense of his new surroundings – which usually meant closing the door behind him and turning to his headphones. The Strokes’ lockdown release The New Abnormal became a constant companion, giving him a taste for the sharp production and contrapuntal lines of early 2000s indie bands such as the Libertines, Maccabees and Arcade Fire. Their punchy back-catalogues would regularly colour those early days roaming the city, and he began to absorb their influences into his own work. 

Aside from the clean guitar hooks and crisp production, Havers has also cited the emotional honesty of Julian Casablancas as a guiding force, using songwriting as a way to break out of his own inhibitions. Do You Get The Shivers resulted from a moment of searing clarity on a hazy night out. Haunted by endless thoughts of a lost relationship, he whipped out his phone and tapped out a few lyrics out on the spot, before returning home to transform the scattered lines into a full-blown song. 

You might think a messy club night wouldn’t be compatible with such an intrepid writing session, but it’s a technique Monty recommends for anyone hoping to get to grips with their psyche. “I don’t know if it’s just me, but if I am ever trying to give myself advice I always write it down in my notes as I think it will stick more!” he says. While early cuts of the song were quiet and understated, this version summons a more theatrical side of Havers; as well as piercing guitar melodies there’s soaring reverb and a tremulous cadence adding a layer of 50s kitsch, as he howls “Do you get the shivers?”

In fact, he doesn’t any more. After vowing to “turn to myself, and love me for the first time”, writing the song helped Havers leave heartbreak behind. Just as the power chords bulldoze any lingering trace of melancholy, the lyrics confirm that only he can break the cycle and close the lid on his past. It’s a new musical venture for Monty Havers, but one which sees his break-up blues well and truly exorcised. 

Stream Do You Get The Shivers? now.

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Orla Foster