Rain City Drive, we’ve been “Waiting On You”! This new release is technically the debut album of Rain City Drive, since their rebrand from ‘Slaves’ last October. The band released 2020 album, To Better Days, with Matt McAndrew as the new lead singer although this is their first release with the new name! I’ve been a ‘super fan’ of this band for a while and I think the reason I love them so much is because of their vulnerability and determination. They’ve gone through a lot of trials and tribulations, rebuilding from the ground up and always coming back stronger than before!
There was talk about doing a rebrand when Matt officially joined the band in 2019, since the band had changed and evolved so much since its founding in 2014. It wasn’t until 2020 when the controversy of their name was brought to light (possibly seen as insensitive or misinterpreted) that the band decided it was officially time to part ways with the old alias. They changed their name to Rain City Drive to reflect their brand of positivity, cutting ties with a name that carries such a negative connotation. What I think is really cool about their new name is it’s inspired by how the current members all met back in early 2019! The band (being bassist Colin Vieira, drummer Zack Baker, and guitarists Felipe Sanchez and Weston Richmond) was getting ready to board their flights for their UK tour when their lead singer at the time didn’t show up, leaving the rest of the band hanging. They only had a 45-minute window to find a new singer to still go on with the tour. Luckily, a mutual friend recommended Matt; they gave him a call, he was crazy enough to say “yes” and jumped on a plane. The band and Matt met for the first time right before their show in Manchester — a notoriously rainy city. Hence, the name ‘Rain City’.
Rain City Drive is embracing their new chapter while staying true to their roots.
They’ve brought in a new style, but kept the same sound from To Better Days. The members of the band all come from completely different backgrounds and I think their sounds blend and come together in such a unique way, especially on this album by blending pop melodies to heavy riffs.
My personal favorite off the album is “Eternity”! I always love picking apart a song line by line and this song has some seriously in-depth lyrics that makes it fun to dissect: “Stay on the move // Step in the coroner’s shoes // Uncovering clues // Under the light of moon // They say on the news // Killer is still on the loose // But, only we knew // Secrets survive in the truth.” I have a couple different interpretations of this song: you could take it in a relationship sense, where, from an outside point of view, a relationship looks beautiful, yet underneath, it’s all bullshit. You keep thinking you can take these waves, saying you’ll be okay, but really you’re not. The problems keep piling and piling up until you feel like you’re drowning. Or, you could take it in a different direction with current world situations… I’m not gonna say much more about that — just something to think about. With the lyrics, Matt’s vocals are amazing on this track! At the end of the song, he hits this insane note that I’m pretty sure is a D5!
The other songs that really stuck out to me are “Waiting on You” and “Garden of Misery”. I’m so happy for these guys and excited to see where the future will take Rain City Drive! They are currently in the midst of SiriusXm Octane’s Remade in Misery Tour with Memphis May Fire and From Ashes to New. They also just announced another tour coming this fall with Set It Off and Oxymorons! Be sure to catch one of these shows and hear some of the new album live!
Purchase or stream ‘Rain City Drive’ album:
Track listing:
- Waiting on You
- Gardens of Misery
- Dreams
- Dying For
- Nothing Left
- Psycho
- Cutting It Close
- Blood Runs Cold
- Eternity
- Ophelia
- If I Was Right
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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