Singer/Songwriter Katie Drives has returned with a brand-new single 'Ghosts', featuring Poet and musician Dear Me via Initiative Musik. Produced by Ole Kuhlmann, 'Ghosts' tells the story of a person that has been ghosted from the perspective of the person that broke contact.
The track is the first since her debut EP 'Fake Smiles' was released last year. The Berlin-based singer mixes Pop and Rock to create a punk attitude, not experienced since artists like Alanis Morrisette and Avril Lavigne some twenty years ago.
'Ghosts' sees Drives' warm and infectious vocals sing from a personal perspective. Her rich vocals sing over distorted guitars and pop-infused melodies to create an extra addition to the evolution of Katie Drives as a songwriter.
Words by Anselm Anderson
Click the link below to read more about Katie Drives.
Hello, could you introduce
yourself to the listeners?
Hello! This is Michael. I am
the drummer, manager, and one of the songwriters for The Comancheros.
What can you tell me about
your musical journey to this point?
I started by playing in a punk
band with my brother, we did a few death metal bands in our teens, and I
started playing country when I was in college. Tanner and I met when I was in
graduate school for Greek and Latin. It wasn’t long before I dropped out of
grad school to focus on The Comancheros. It’s been full steam ahead ever
since!
How would you describe your
sound?
HEAVY & WESTERN. We wanted
to know what it would sound like if Van Halen did a Waylon Jennings cover
album. Van Waylon, if you will.
What inspired you to get
into music?
Personally, I was home-schooled. My parents did not play music, so my brother and I started private
music lessons around age 12 and it quickly took over our lives. We were never
big into sports and it was the first thing we were really good at.
The Comancheros recently
released the tongue-in-cheek ‘Happy Birthday to Me’. What can you tell me about
the track and the meaning behind it?
Jon wrote that song in about 15
minutes on his birthday during quarantine. Tanner and Jon are roommates, so
they were stuck together. Tanner walked by Jon’s room at about 8:30am (Natty lite
in hand) and said “happy birthday, you should write a song about a guy who is
alone on his birthday. Anyway, I gotta go take a shit.” By the time Tanner was
done with his shit, Jon had written: “Happy Birthday to Me.”
The band has toured with
some notable luminaries such as Whiskey Myers. Blackberry Smoke, The Cadillac
Three etc. What can you tell me about that experience?
That has been a blast!
Blackberry Smoke has been really generous and always fun dudes. It was great to
meet the guys in The Cadillac Three because Kelby played on our album “Too Old
to Die Young Now” and Jaren has supported the “Heavy & Western” brand quite
a bit. One dude in Whiskey Myers has a sweet Star Wars tattoo.
What is a typical The
Comancheros show like?
Sheer beer fuelled Dionysian
revelry. The Greek festivals would see a week of dancing, drinking, and
partying. People were known to be torn limb from limb. They set the bar for
partying and that’s what we strive to hit.
The band has released two
albums, and recorded a cover of the Lynryd Skynryd classic ‘Mississippi
Kid’. What can you tell me about the albums, and the decision to cover
this particular track?
Our bass player worked on the
idea for “Mississippi Kid” with a previous band that broke up when we scalped
him for The Comancheros. He was jamming it one day at practice and we just had
to try it! We worked it over quite a bit, but it was his idea to make that a
full band, heavy song.
I read the band has had a
sauce named after them. That is a pretty cool claim to fame. How did that come
about?
We used to jam with a guy named
Vann. He is known for disappearing every few months and doing god knows what.
He’s a veteran, he has worked pipelines, and who knows what else! He randomly
moved to Texas and started a hot sauce company. He offered us to do a special
blend and we were totally down! We’ve been really happy with it, and everybody
seems to love the flavour.
Does the band have plans for
a new album?
Memphis to Mexico releases on November 25th this year! We are so excited for
this album. Richard Young from the Kentucky Headhunters produced it, and it was
a fantastic experience.
And finally, what is next
for The Comancheros?
We’ve got a lot in the
pipeline. So much is still uncertain, but 2023 is gonna rule!
Essex-Based four-piece Palps have released their debut album, entitled Black Heart. The LP follows the 2020 debut EP 'Letters to You (That I Will Never Send)'. Black Heart is an eight-track concept story that highlights a person's struggles with Mental Health.
The album is accompanied by eight music videos that relay this story to listeners. The story is centred around the main protagonist, Matt plus Rose, Charlotte and the nefarious Plague Doctor, a metaphor for suicidal thoughts.
Jack Twiner helped mix, master and produce this release at Pyramid Studios in Reading, England. The band convey the seriousness of Matt through emotive pop-rock, huge choruses and meaningful lyrics.
The anthemic 'AVA' begins this chapter through striking vocal melodies and distorted guitar riffs. The heart-wrenching 'Love, Always' soon follows, before the first of two duets with vocalist Kirstie McEwan with 'Consequences'.
Each song tells the tale of a troubled and conflicted individual growing darker throughout. The band add some instrumental passages and intricate songwriting that grabs at the softest spots. The LP is story-centred, rather than relying on any flashy musical techniques. That is the important thing to remember when listening to the album. For this reason, the album can at times sound too similar in tone and dynamic, which can come across as especially dark.
'Messages' seeks to sound positive with simple guitar play and joint choral cries and dazzling keys. The melodic 'Imprint' is the second to feature Kirstie McEwan joining in on the chorus. 'In My Head' is the heaviest track on the album with machine-gun drumming as a means to set the alarm something is up. And finally, 'Dead' is an eight-minute finale with progressive elements, aggressive guitars and sombre breakdowns.
Overall, Palps release an interesting way to get a serious subject through to the masses with sweet melodies and dark pop.
Rising British Heavyweights Ruina release their latest EP As the Sky Begins to Break today, Friday, 30th September.
Formed in 2020, Ruina originally started out as a solo project for multi-instrumentalist Harv Lake. However, a desire to play live and explore new ideas lead Lake to assemble his own band. The four-track EP is eleven minutes of skull-crushing riffage and joint harsh/clean vocals courtesy of Harv Lake and Chris Owens.
The EP begins with the haunting instrumental 'Intro/Exist' before exploding with the latest single 'Ash & Fire', a slice of modern metal that goes straight to the jugular. A hard-hitting track with punishing blast beats and razor-sharp riffs. Owens' towering melodies provide a reassuring accompaniment to Lake's anguished growls.
Next up is the equally dark and emotive 'The Truth', in which Owens and Lake's vocal chemistry continues to grow. The odd time signatures. sonic blast beats and eerie guitar melodies make this one of the more intense tracks on the EP.
Herv Lake has done a good job finding two talented musicians that supplement his strengths as an instrumentalist. The production values enhance each performance and highlight the songwriting here.
In Addition, the fact it is only 11 minutes long makes the EP more enjoyable. It serves as a taster for what is to come from Ruina in the future.
And finally, 'Wavebreaker' reminds everyone there is one more song left. This song focuses more on groove-laden riffs and powerful and emotional melodies that make it more of a commercially assessable song.
Overall, Ruina may have broken more than the clouds above with this short, but evocative new release.
