Next up in our series of GazeFest interviews is The Drive. Formed in Cork in 2018 by Eoin Murphy and Alex Galligan the band have shifted sounds over the space of their career. More recently adopting a dark more experimental sound that recalls another Old Crows favourite, Just Mustard. I sat down with Eoin and Alex for a chat about all things The Drive.
Catch them at GazeFest Belfast on Aug 26th Oh Yeah Centre - tickets link at the end of the interview
What bands posters
did you have upon your bedroom wall and what was the first album you ever
bought and why?
First album would’ve been “AM” , which subsequently was a defect out of the packaging. I traded it for “whatever people say I am “
A - “Nevermind”
was my first CD, it started my affinity to drums and dave grohl. it’s one of
the main reasons i picked up an instrument and wanted to start a band.
Can you tell me what first inspired you to make music, what made you pick up a guitar, write songs and start a band?
E- I never
really fit in at school. Was terrible at sports so when it came it to
extracurriculars I felt music to be. Good shout. My family is very musical so I
suppose it’s down to genetics too.
Your EP ‘in reverse’ is a tour de force in an exploration of sounds. It’s almost oppressive in parts but this is balance with cathartic release. Can you talk about the writing process for the EP, where it was recorded and why you choose that studio.
E- The EP
recording process had used a lot of techniques we had acquired through years of
being in studios and home demoing.
I use a lot of
layers for my guitar and vocal tracks to really make the songs massive.
I also used a
mixture of 2 amps with separate tremolo signals for songs such as Thin Air and
Market price on the lead tones to really encompass the songs
A- I used a lot of separation techniques on the recording of the drums for extra depth and the ability to layer over those really dense tracks. I layered a lot of the drums with different snares and reverse hi hats to create an atmospheric presence.
Given the nature of
the band, is there any particular piece or pieces of gear that are essential to
creating your sound?
A- I love experimenting with my drums and looking at things in an unorthodox way.
I stack my
cymbals with hats and vice verses to get sounds otherwise unattainable live.
Can you tell us
lyrically what your approach is, where do you take inspiration from or how do
you approach lyrics for the tracks.
It helps to be
able to look at songs lyrically from all aspects, whether that be what the song
makes you feel personally, or the feelings a song invokes.
A- I love being
able to take songs apart and structure them, i’m not always in the corner doing
a 4/4, it’s a collaborative process on all aspects of our music
The scene both north and south seems to be stronger than ever, is there anyone you’d want to shout out to?
E- Gurriers,
Pretty happy, Clay Pigeon Shooting and Enola Gay are some bands that are
dominating and will continue to dominate the Irish music scene in my opinion.
What’s next for you, is there more music on the way, any shows?
And finally in the
vein of Rob Gordon. What are your Top 5 favourite records.
- Enter the Wu Tang – Wu Tang Clan
- Psychocandy – Jesus And Mary Chain
- The 1975 – The 1975
- Diamond Life (Live) - Sade
A - The 1975
- Iowa - Slipknot
- I let it in and it took everything - Loathe
- When i have fears - The Murder Capital
- Around
the Fur - Deftones
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