BETA

Drive Like I Do

Drive Like I Do

miiarcus' Score
78
Pretty good
released: June 14th, 2024
recorded: 2007-2009
label: N/A
format: Bootleg / Unofficial
genres: Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Post-Punk Revival

track list

  1. Foreword 80
  2. Robbers 85
  3. Sex 100
  4. The Go! 85
  5. The City 80
  6. Lost Boys 78
  7. Au bord de la mer 72
  8. Wolves 75
  9. Moon 70
  10. Anti-Christ 72
  11. 102 75
  12. 28 82
total duration: 44 minutes

summary


"Loads of potential which they put to good use in their later years with The 1975 is heard here."

share

miiarcus' review

Before The 1975, there was Drive Like I Do, and this compilation is essentially a collection of their early material recorded between 2005-2007(08?). Their sound was stuck in a weird spot in indie; they didn't follow the trends of the new rave/dance-punk scene, nor did they get classified as landfill indie, it was something different and refreshing, but very accessible and straightforward. Some elements of their sound, such as their anthemic "big music" choruses they presented on 'Foreword', 'Sex', and 'The Go!' would be influences in The 1975's debut. I get a nostalgic feeling from this compilation, the synths and the instrumentation are likely the reason why.

'Foreword' is undoubtedly an explosive opener, with a well executed instrumental build up that I just adore. OG 'Robbers' sounds relatively similar to it's rerecorded counterpart, but I appreciate it more here with the sound they presented here. Same goes for 'Sex', I heavily prefer the version on here with it's original structure and less shoegaze/noise-pop influenced sound. Those synths add such a nostalgic and great touch to the track, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this track this much without 'em. With Lost Boys, the first influence I noticed was Bloc Party. Those jagged guitar hooks and rythmic sections really gives it away! Not to mention those PPR drums.

The rest isn't as spectacular as the tracks mentioned above, but they're very solid indie pop songs that were probably recorded while they were trying to find their footing. Such as that weird ambient track (Moon) and 'Wolves', which I didn't really get much out of. Same goes for 'Au bord de la mer' which is the most forgettable from the bunch on here. The way this compilation closes really set me off guard though, '28' has this slow build up similar to 'Foreward', but it's far more explosive. Never have I heard an indie album with a closer like this.

Overall, this compilation has some really solid tracks, and loads of potential which they put to good use in their later years with The 1975. Definitely check this out if you're curious how some of their older material sounded.