VROOM VROOM: the drive. talk their new EP 'in reverse.', musical inspirations, and more
- ◡̈ Lia Qin
- Dec 18, 2022
- 10 min read
Updated: Jun 19, 2023
Interview by Lia Qin
Images by Lorna Egan (press photo) & Lia Qin
EP Review by Abbi Patton
Edited by Lia Qin
'Maybe I should stop, and think about myself for once... Oh my fucking God!'
- Shoulders -
I remember hearing this line for the first time in May, when Cork-based the drive., had their debut UK gig in Manchester. Shoulders was an unreleased track, alongside a few other songs in the set that made up what we see now as 'in reverse.'. I had listened to all the music the band put out on Spotify before that gig and liked what I heard. However, it was such a pleasant surprise when they transitioned from lighter tunes to something noisier and darker from the moment Alannah (bass/vocals) stepped forward and took over the mic. I loved it A LOT.
The songs they played in the later half of their set (Shoulders, Sundown, Market Price, Thin Air, a prototype of the new EP) were more hostile and unsettling compared to the opening tracks. They appeared tangling with melancholy and something deeply personal while I couldn't put my fingers on it at the time, now we know this EP discusses their mental distresses and experiences. Despite the fact that a big chunk of the set was fairly different from the rest, it was clear that these guys had figured out the sound of the drive. - the transition was smooth and the set sounded coherent, exactly fitting what Eoin (guitar/vocals) told us in the interview ' we wanted to make something consistent'.
For those who aren't familiar with the drive., they are a three-piece Cork-based outfit consisting of Eoin Murphy (guitar/vocals), Alannah Hynes (bass/vocals), and Alex Redmond Galligan (drums), signed with Egg Twelve. They've secured attention from press, radio and streaming services with a collection of singles and debut EP 'Easy Now'. the drive. is a band acclaimed for their exciting live performance. Their résumé of stage -success includes festivals spanning the UK & Ireland, support to the likes of The Blue Stones, as well as sold-out Irish headline shows including The Grand Social (Dublin) and Cyprus Avenue (Cork).
I know it seems like every band nowadays is an 'up-and-comer', is 'one of the most exciting bands OOO has to offer', but the drive. deserve those names. The passion and talent they have really manifested in their music. To celebrate the release of their sophomore record 'in reverse', we talked to the trio about their music as well as their inspirations and influences, life as musicians based in Cork, and so much more.
If you have not gotten a chance to listen to the drive., this is your sign to check them out.
- First of all, for those who’re not familiar with you; if you could think of three words to describe The Drive, what would they be?
This is tough, we’d have to say ‘vroom, vroom,vroom’. But in all seriousness I think ‘the drive’ can be summarised as ‘cathartic’, ‘noisy’, and ‘enjoyable’
Although on this EP we’ve written about topics regarding our mental distresses and experiences, and have attempted to portray these in as an intensive or noisy way as we possibly could, we’ve always tried to maintain a healthy and enjoyable writing process as well as adopting pop influences into our music to make our songs as accessible and enjoyable to any listener.
- Would you let us know how you all met and at how you decided to make music together?
Eoin: the drive. has been around for a few years now, I started it up back in 2018.
Alex: I firstly joined the band through the former lead guitarist, who’d actually been in the same school as me. I’d heard the debut single ‘cigarettes & lemonade’ and jumped at the opportunity to join. I’d been great friends with Alannah for years beforehand and when she joined a few months after myself, it really felt like we found the missing puzzle piece.
We all share so many influences it felt as if we finally found the group of people that we wanted to make music with. We pull influences from everywhere and all the things around us when it comes to writing songs.
- How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it? Did you always have a clear idea of the kind of music you wanted to make or did you eventually find out your way?
We’d describe the music as diverse and ever changing. We want new listeners to be able to experience all aspects of our music from our lighter to more heavier songs, as well as maintaining the themes which garnered our original fan base.
From songs like “S.N.F.C”, which pulls from our dreampop & indie influences, to our latest work such as songs like “Gealt”, which manifests itself in a considerably darker ‘landscape’ both audibly and thematically, we want to achieve a sound that is accessible to every audience.
Over time we believe we’ve grown as musicians and our songs speak for that.
- What music / musicians shaped you as an artist? Who would you say are the biggest influence for you and the band?
Alex: For me, I’ve always been drawn to heavier music. Bands like Loathe and Gojira and their perplexing blend of metal with these melodic/shoegaze-y elements has always been a sound I’ve adored. As well as the incredible level of drumming talent in both bands, which I definitely take influence from.
Alannah: I have always been heavily inspired by Warpaint and Pixies, Jenny Lee Lindberg has inspired my style of playing along with Kim Deal. Deftones, favourite band of all time. Their ability to change their sound while staying true to who they are as musicians has always been a massive comfort to me.
Eoin: I grew up listening to everything, whether it’s heavy like Sonic Youth or the sweet sounds of Sade I pull influences from everywhere. I’m a massive fan of groups like OutKast and Cypress Hill, the way the wrote songs was revolutionary for all genres. My earliest memories of music would be listening to The Cure with my mam, been a massive fan ever since.
As a collective, we love Deftones, that’s it. They’re just great.
- Your new EP in reverse. sounds melancholic and deeply personal, what inspired you when writing the songs and where did you find inspirations?
Eoin: I really wanted to make something consistent. We all really wanted to make a body
of work that listeners could hear and know that this is the drive. I’ve had some of these songs written for years, Sundown comes to mind, I’m a massive fan of alternative tunings and playing around one day I wrote the whole song. It was one of those moments that you knew you had the song in the first 5 minutes. We spent months touring it, changing details to make it the song it is today, its one we’re very proud of.The lyrics are inspired by “Breaking Bad” and the first slasher movie, “The Town That Dreaded Sundown”.
Alannah: Gealt is the old Irish word for lunatic, I have always struggled significantly with my mental health so I wanted to write a song that makes people feel uneasy. Shoulders is an ode to my younger self, struggling with boundaries in my personal relationships and feeling the need to fix everything around me.
- How does the songwriting process work for you? What’s a typical writing / recording process for The Drive
Eoin: We all play a massive part in the songwriting process. Whether Alex has a drum beat or Alannah and I have a riff or a chorus, we work together to bring the songs to life. Alannah and I throw ideas at the wall and Alex basically glues it together. In regards to recording, we recorded the EP with the lovely Daniel De Burca in JeJune Studios. It was a great experience for us all, Daniel made us feel comfortable and gave us the ability to express ourselves.
Alannah: Whilst recording, me and Eoin got stuck in Drogheda and had to stay in the studio overnight. At around midnight one of the other tenants came in to his office and scared us to half to death. He then proceeded to lock us in the building, the alarm started going off despite there being no sensor in the room we were in. I did not sleep that night.
- Are you all from Cork?
Yeah biy, born and bred.
- What was life like growing up in Cork? What is it like to be a musician in Cork?
We’ve all come from pretty disadvantaged areas, music has always been our release from that. Going against the social norms in Cork has brought us all a lot of trouble with bullying etc but we’re here despite all that and that’s the case with most musicians in Cork. Cork has always had a rich music scene. Home to amazing bands like God Alone, Altered Hours, Happy Alone and Pretty Happy. The scene in Cork has it’s flaws as does everywhere, the lack of supports in this city makes it hard for all of us, however there’s people such as Mike McGrath who keep the scene alive.
Cork has its ups and downs and that is definitely shown in our music. It’s home, and that means a lot to all of us whether it be good or bad.
- Is there a place you want to introduce to people who’re not familiar with Cork?
Bunker Vinyl has been a fantastic addition to Cork. John has such a variety of vinyls and is such a kind and accommodating person, you just need to go there to experience it in all its glory.
(Bunker Vinyl and studio & the owner John Dwyer, images from google)
- How was the headline tour you just finished? What’s it like doing all the shows and how do you find life on the road?
Favourite thing about the tour, Keelan O’Reilly (@keelanpostparty). Least favourite thing about the tour, not having our own beds. We all adore playing shows especially after a long hiatus and that was the driving force for us to get up and do it over those few days. On the last day of our tour we all got stranded in Waterford, do not recommend their public transport.
- Do you get a chance to see a lot of gigs? Are there any bands you’ve seen recently that you particular like and want to work with (e.g. supporting on them tour) in the future?
We all try to get out to as many gigs as possible, supporting local and bigger bands alike. Whilst recording ‘Shoulders’, Just Mustard announced their album release show in Workman’s Cellar which we all managed to get to and since then we’ve really wanted to support them. Recently Alex and I (Alannah) got to see Gilla Band in The National Stadium and would adore to work with them in the future. God Alones album launch was surreal, very rarely have we heard a band sound better live than on record.
- Lastly, what’s in store for The Drive. for 2023 and beyond?
Gigs, gigs and more gigs, perhaps a few new songs, may chance.
the drive.'s 'in reverse' is out EVERYWHERE (Spotify/Apple Music/Amazon Music). Invest 20 minutes of your morning/afternoon/evening, we promise you won't regret it. And we though while you listen to the EP (by order), a little read would be perfect to keep you company. Our friend Abbi (@abbiannepatton) once again worked her magic (after the beautifully written Jeff Buckley album review); provided us her thoughts on 'in reverse', track by track. Have a read, enjoy the music, and have a nice day :)
As someone working in the music industry, it’s a given that I am interested in finding up-and-coming Irish bands. When I came across the drive, this was exactly the kind of band one who wishes to discover new music is lucky to come across. The three piece rock band, with Eoin Murphy [guitar, vocals], Alannah Hynes [bass, vocals] and Alex Redmond Galligan [drums] were formed in Cork, in 2018.
I listened to their first EP, Easy Now (2020), along with the rest of their singles and I was hooked. Like clockwork, their second EP, “in reverse,” was released soon after this discovery of mine, with even more of their music available to listen to. I was eager to hear some new sounds by them and made time to sit down and listen to it. So, without further ado, here is an in-depth analysis of in reverse (2022) by the drive.
The EP commences with Gealt and, just like its title, it encompasses heavy instrumentals throughout the track to exhibit the lunacy that is suggested by it. We are introduced to soft, shoe-gazey vocals partnering with these instrumentals. Then, the song explodes with thundering drums and immense sounding guitar, with a smooth bass line on top. The vocals come back into play, echoing hauntingly through the song. The heaviness of the instruments then increases once more for an intense conclusion to the track.
This heaviness subsides with the introduction of Shoulders, the second song, which I had heard as a single before the release of this EP. With a soft dreamy guitar intro, a strong bass fills our ears to accompany it. The echoey vocals are back to give us the familiarity of the last song. An intense build-up of vocals, guitar and drums ensue, before calming down again and moving on to the second verse. The drums are still loud, but the guitar and vocals stay calm. The intensity builds up again and climaxes with a scream that acts as a catalyst to the instruments going fanatical. The sequence is still dreamlike, especially when the song goes quiet. The bass reveals itself but it’s slower. The song fades out in a slow motion type of segment, closing it out gradually.
Fading in is a slow, melodic guitar, leading us into Sundown. With soft but potent vocals, it brings us to a stand still, especially when the powerful chorus comes in and the song gets louder. It’s a song where you can close your eyes and just feel the music. To be honest, it’s a hard song to describe because I felt myself being entranced by it so much that I was lost for words, which is like so much of the drive’s music.
The second last song, Market Price, crashes into our ears. The drums are exciting and fast. This feels like a song one can lose themselves to. It’s one that I think would be incredible live, especially in a place that is filled with thousands of people. In my mind, I hear the loud guitars coming through the speakers of a festival or a massive arena. It’s a song to run, jump and mosh to and one that connects to the electric parts of the soul. I can imagine an audience of substantial size cheering as the song finishes.
Thin Air is the final song of the album. It is an explosion of sound from the get-go. Like the last track, it feels like a song that should be played to as many people as possible. It includes an incredible guitar solo in the middle of the song (and we all know that every mosher loves a guitar solo to go mental to). I feel like this song encapsulates the energy of the whole EP and is an amazing one to end on.
All I can say is, you need to take just 17 minutes and 37 seconds out of your time to listen to this incredible sophomore EP. It’s a beautiful blend of rock sounds, bringing a heavier twist to classic showgaze. It’s clear that these three musicians deserve to be big in music, even though in the present day, their formidable energy is displayed through their music as if they are already. I’m looking forward to hearing what more art they have to share to the world. So, keep an eye on the drive, because they’re destined for a promising and successful future.
Get in touch with us if you also go to gigs a lot, want to share your experiences and thoughts about music, or chat with us about your band. We welcome everyone to join with open arms. DM us (@notaluciddream), email us (notaluciddream@gmail.com), reach out and be featured on the next A Lucid Dream article. See you very soon!
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