Cork grunge-shoegaze outfit The Drive are back with another gut-wrenching belter, and it might be their strongest track to date. ‘Nothing crossed’ is the B-side track to their June release ‘shelley.’, leaning further into the distorted, howling, alternative sound which the band demonstrated with the A-side.
While ‘shelley.’ focuses on the more aggressive and longing side of rejection and loneliness, ‘nothing crossed.’ appears to be an exploration of rage and disappointment from broken promises. A commentary on the developing mistrust between people and their partners, families, friends, and even their country, frontman Eoin Murphy explained in an interview with FrontView Magazine that he “wanted to use (“nothing crossed”) as the crux for this song & touch on the society we live in today, and more importantly the future we’re constantly being promised, be that by local TD’s, our government, or even our interpersonal relationships.”
Beginning with a slow build of thudding drums and distorted strings, ‘nothing crossed.’ leads gently into Murphy’s lilting lyrics, giving the first verse a cautious tone that echoes the fear of disappointment which the track emphasises. With a slow rhythm and almost fearful-sounding vocals, the song gives the impression of creeping around the point- avoiding what it’s trying to say for fear of being too full-on.
This all breaks down, however, when the guitars begin to crash and the chorus kicks in- “jumping in” to the crux of the tune. More aggressively now, Murphy begins to howl pained noises into the microphone as a wall of rumbling bass, gritty guitars, and rampaging drums prop up his efforts. To say the band have achieved their desired effect here would be more than an understatement.
On an emotional level, this track manages effortlessly to tap into the emotions of the listener, with the changes in tone breaking through into the mind- opening a window of realisation regarding all of the lies and broken promises we experience daily without even noticing. The fact that this has become a subconscious experience, that we don’t even register it anymore, is precisely what the band are trying (and succeeding) to draw attention to.
While shoegaze and grunge may seem to some like a noise of the past, The Drive are more than pulling their weight with not only their latest release, but their live shows just as much. After huge success earlier this year, the four-piece will be embarking on not only an Irish tour, but also another London show this winter.
Channelling endless charm, emotion, and energy, The Drive have not only put out another stellar single, but further secured themselves as a staple of the up-and-coming Irish music scene. Drifting in a seemingly liminal space between breakthrough success and adoration in underground shoegaze spaces, it is only a matter of time before the Munster musicians shatter the industry with their gut-wrenching anthemic catalogue and high-energy live performances.
With five years of brilliant outputs and a steadily growing dedicated fanbase, this group are sure to become a classic.
Words by George Connell
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