Brooklyn, NY’s Drive-In takes us through the ups and downs of love showing us that ‘THIS IS NOT A ROM-COM’ on debut EP
Photo by Deannie Chen (Pictured Left: Mitch Meyer Right: Alessandra Rincon)
Love. A four-letter word capable of both scaring someone and also making them smile. It’s one of the most mind-boggling yet deeply profound and interesting anomalies we experience in this lifetime. It exists in the embrace of a hug, the excitement after a waiter brings your order to your table, even in the touch of your crush’s hands within yours before you both go your separate ways home. It can also exist in mixed signals, uncomfortable body language, and being afraid to get close to someone due to past experiences (everyone has them).
Out of a meeting through mutual friends in 2020, Ally and Mitch came together and within the course of a year, created what would be “This Is Not A Rom-Com”. A twenty minute ‘chapterization’ of love and life itself (which can often feel like a Rom-Com given dating in today’s society feeling so much more complex than it should be).
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The One Before details the bitter realization of being the one before “The One” in someone’s life. Paired with dreamy guitars, vocals and some reverb to create an atmosphere similar to a disproportionate feeling triggered by someone, this opener sets the groundwork of what we can expect to feel for the next few songs ahead.
Impact immediately gives me a sound similar to the band Mixtapes (if you don't know who they were, you definitely should). The lyrical themes are hard as it can be speaking up about how you really feel about someone. Being honest takes a lot of vulnerability especially in this line of work and no doubt, Drive-In has the balls to tell you like it is.
Overwhelmed So, We’ve all felt like this right? Feeling like the walls are closing in with little room to breathe, it’s great isn’t it? To match the slow tension, this song is much more laid back rhythmically than the others. However, it gives Ally the space she needs to walk back and forth spilling her inner most thoughts and anxieties around her.
Narcissus is the last track on the EP but was also the first track to be released as a taste of the full-course meal ahead. It brings things back up on a sunset-as-the credits-roll kinda vibe which is fitting thematically. Once again, the band tells you (especially narcisissists) like it in and stop subjecting others to your misery. It’s not cool at all.
Overall, while I do feel it’s a bit early for a debut EP for a band like Drive-In, I am looking forward to what’s in-store for the band as they grow, change, and try new things as artists (and friends)!
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
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Drive-In
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