Drift Crosses Genres, Sharing New “Candyland” EP
Candyland is the new EP hailing from Australian band Drift. The four-piece has been releasing music since 2020, describing themselves (via their website and Spotify) as “a project aimed at creating easy listening material intertwined with emotional soundscapes”.
“I Want You Dead” is the first song off of the 6 track EP. It starts off with some simple guitar for a short intro, transitioning into moody guitar riffs and phasing in the drums. The song features an echoey high lead guitar throughout with a deeper, distorted rhythm guitar in the background, giving the song a slight shoe-gaze vibe. As the song progresses, the main riff changes and pulls you back into the song, not allowing there to be boredom even in a fairly simple song. The lyrics lack some gusto but are sung with such passion that it's not something I’d avoid listening to the song for. The vocal effects also add an element that makes them seem like just another instrument. They’re fuzzy, grainy, and reverbed to match a ‘looking out the window on a long drive’ vibe. There was a call-and-response at the end of the song where another singer chanted back “You want me dead” in reply to the song’s title being sung, which I thought was a cool touch and a great way to end the song.
The second track, “Begin”, the shoegaze element sort of faded (not by much) and gave way to a more generic alternative/emo rock sound—not to say that’s a bad thing. The bass comes out some more in this song which I was definitely missing in the first track a bit. The chorus repeats “I wanna hold on/ so you don’t fall off”—a simple and beautiful way of saying “I want to be okay so I can be there for you”. The repetition helps its power—especially when it’s layered with another muffled voice at the end. The lead riffs (again) are beautiful and end the song by ringing out.
“Burden” gives way to a pretty different sound from the first two songs. This one is much more of a true grunge sound—it has much more angst compared to the melancholy of the last tracks. The instruments are more distorted, but the vocals are much clearer. Feedback is also used as a tool in this song, making it “harder”. The song seems to be about fake indifference in a relationship. Whether the subject of the song leaves or goes, it’ll hurt. The burden will stay. The song is very dramatic in both its instrumentals and lyrics.
“Go Away” reminds me a bit of Turnstile’s earlier music. The mega-muffled vocals are back with a simple fervor. The song plays between rhythm-style guitar and lead-style in strategic places. The bass line is simple but super prominent when the lead-style guitar pops in, which gives the song some variety without dipping into an experimental pot.
The shortest track, “All Its Day”, packs the most into its less-than-three-minute song. This song definitely is the most interesting to listen to in my opinion. The two guitars are almost mismatched on the verses of the track, seeming to play independently until they come together in the chorus. The lyrics are much more complex in this song than the others. I wish the vocals were a bit clearer in this one to highlight that feature, but it’s nonetheless an obvious feature of the song.
“Too Late” reminded me immediately of The Get Up Kids’ Something to Write Home About (an essential Fall album by the way). The song uses only acoustic guitar and shaky vocals. The song is beautiful and sad. It’s not clear what the song is about—it has a purposeful vagueness in its lyrics that make it both applicable to many situations and also signifies the processing of tough situations and the lack of explanation we can sometimes have for our emotions. This is definitely a surprising way to end the EP, but a fantastic choice. The band is definitely not afraid to dive into sounds that may not “fit” with the rest of the songs.
Any fan of alternative music should check it out. It’s a simple EP with a good amount of variety in its few songs. You can find Drift on Instagram @driftbandau or on their website—www.driftbandau.com