Driving at Night ‘Anywhere but Here’
You can submerge and dive deep in Anywhere but Here. Every hidden flavor and shade of colors that a melody is capable of holding is being expressed fully here. No stone left unturned, and no details were muddied or altered. Anywhere but Here is a reverberant, rich album full of imagination and feelings. Driving at Night’s music feels like a really well-written book. You’re not just here to enjoy the fansy sounds but to experience a whole world, wrapped up in sounds. From the most pent-up emotions to the most wonderful tenderness to unspoken words and screamed-out exclaims, their music is full of life and soul. You want to live in the world they create, feeling those resonances from the soundscapes and melodies rippling waves of goosebumps.
With a beautiful, tender touch of melancholy. “Nylon” carries a fuzzy edge of distortion. Mood-filled melodies come in your ears in fragments, being stretched long and board in the background. The foreground isn’t something palpable, but it might well be. Driving at Night captures loneliness and melancholia in a profound way, blowing up in noise-coiled catharsis at breaking point. Even though no words were sung in this track, you can clearly a soaring scream coming at you from every corner of the soundscapes. It’s gritty and hard-hitting, even though it remains immersive and picturesque.
“For K” is a big knot of pent-up feelings. Joined by frustration and unspoken words, there’s a hint of sentiment glistening in in the shimmering melodies. “Willow Tree” then takes you to a battle field. At times, you’re at the highest of the tide, and at times, it calls upon fight, but in the end, you’ll find where you belong. The track ends on a tearful note that feels as keen as coming home after a long journey.
“Anything but Here” is a track with high contrast. An edge of avant garde and distortion thrown into a cathartic, straight-forward motion. Lens shifts between the inner and outer world, the track evokes a sense of “one man against the world” solitude, navigating a thrilling and cleasning route. The instrumental throws punches that burn in flame but as nourishing as the rain. Like a hypnotic, noise-wrapped ritual, where demons and angsts are being released in escalation.
Anything but Here is a lot of things, but most importantly, it showcases the capability and range of the post-rock band. Eclectic, picturesque, moody and immersive, the ablum is everything you wish for to be played into your ears.
Punk Head: You guys have just released a full-length album in March. Now coming back with a EP full of new materials. Tell us more about your process. Is there a connection between the album and the EP?
Driving At Night: The album we released was a collection of songs that we wrote over the past several years, some of our favorites and some of our remixes. We put out about 25 singles, and these were our favorites. The EP consisted of newer songs, we wanted to showcase some different dynamics on this one.
PH: Where did you find the inspirations?
Driving At Night: We derive inspiration from everyday anxiety and the things we all go thru. Just hope to relate to people thru various struggles.
PH: What is your personal favorite song from the EP and why?
Driving At Night: We love “Anywhere but Here.” Felt like a different vibe for us, emotions from uncertainty and fear, but with a dash of hope.
PH: What has been one of the most significant moments of your musical journey so far?
Driving At Night: Our best moments are playing together and writing new songs. Those organic moments are what we live for. Looking forward to sharing with more people.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Driving At Night: We really just want to connect with people live, sharing that experience with people is what making music is all about.
