Editor’s Note: The grading system used here is similar to the 10-point scale used in SDSU courses.
Album: Pop Music
Artist: Remo Drive
GRADE: A
Remo Drive, a rock band from Bloomington, Minnesota, released a new EP with a different sound and style.
The band released its first full-length album “Greatest Hits” in 2017 and released the EP, “Pop Music” last month.
Remo Drive has seen significant success since releasing their first album, mostly because Anthony Fantano, the internet’s busiest music nerd, reviewed it. Currently, they are touring with Sorority Noise and Foxx Bodies.
The band likes to associate themselves with emo revival, but because of the way they write their songs and use instrumentation, it sounds more indie rock than anything else. They’re more a mixture of indie rock, pop punk and emo rather than any singular genre.
The first song on the EP, “Blue Ribbon,” is my favorite, but I’m also really fond of “Song of the Summer” and “Heartstring.”
“Blue Ribbon” has a very distinct sound to it. It’s very indie rock-alternative. The three consecutive electric guitar strums played before the beginning of a new verse grabs my attention like, “oh here we go.” Guitarist and vocalist Erik Paulson’s use of suspended chords throughout really adds a lot to the song. If he would have just left it a normal major chord, it wouldn’t have sounded as great as it does.
Remo Drive is one of those bands you listen to when you want to have a good time or rock out to some bangers. Their lyrics aren’t anything super complex.
“Blue Ribbon” is about momentary pleasures, eating candy and drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon. “Song of Summer” is about being disappointed by your idols. “Heartstrings” sounds like it’s about the unease of not knowing what your relationship with a person is. The band is especially strong when it comes to instrumentals. Listen to Remo Drive to sing along and have a good time, not to over-analyze the meaning of the lyrics.
“Song of Summer” has a surf vibe reminds me of summer. The snare hits leading up to the beginnings of verses helps stir up the song right away. “Song of Summer” seems to be about all of the artists who’ve been outed as sex offenders and fans’ disappointment in them. There’s been a meme floating around the internet and that’s about checking out new music in 2018 and making sure the band isn’t full of sex offenders first. It’s funny, I laughed at it, but it’s also really sad how relevant it is.
The last song on the EP is “Heartstrings.” The song is actually a reworked version of the same song previously released in 2015. You can listen to the original on YouTube.
The EP version has a stronger rock vibe and is faster in tempo. They also changed the lyrics from, “eat out your heart, swallow it whole” to “reach for your heart, knowing I won’t.” It has a much cleaner sound overall.
Remo Drive is doing some great things. I hope they keep evolving their sound and making music.