October Drift - I Don't Belong Anywhere 
(Physical Education Recordings)
Release Date: Out Now
The new album from October Drift, 'I Don't Belong Anywhere', is an immediately attention grabbing collection of songs full of driving rock energy but that really is just the trailer for what is an incredibly complex and rich album. Opening up with 'Airborne Panic Attack', the band hit you straight between the eyes before settling in to a more menacing and brooding pace for the verse as a heavy, deep bass line takes the weight of the song on its shoulders. 'Waltzer' will be music to the ears of anyone who was as obsessed with My Vitriol as I was or even if you just like swooning, crashing indie with hint of grunge on the side. That grunge side comes out more on 'Insects' which is the mix of Nirvana and Pixies we always wanted but never knew we needed.
There's a real intensity to this album that is almost exhausting but you find yourself hanging on for dear life just to see where this thrill ride is headed. 'Lost Without You' is a hurtling and careering grief joyride that is as close to guttural sobbing as music can get whilst maintaining a sense of melody and songwriting credibility - the repeated line of "I'm nothing on my own" is as powerful as lyrics come. The intensity finally drops away with 'Bleed' which meanders through late night city streets looking for somewhere to get the next buzz or a doorway to sleep off the last one.
Former single 'Webcam Funerals' is still one of the most powerful songs of 2022 and the anger, grief and injustice still seethes from the speakers with every note. 'Parasite' is ready for heavy radio rotation on both sides of the Atlantic with its anthemic melodies juxtaposing brilliantly with the incredibly personal lyrics perfectly. The smolder on 'Ever After' is like a cigarette butt burning through the sofa while the people in the room sleep a slumber they will never wake from - it is a burning fire that was lit to explode.
The penultimate song, 'Feels Like I'm Home' has a definitively English feel to it which erupts with a sense of relief and triumphant arrival that will play very nicely with festival crowds thank you very much indeed. As the album closes with 'Old and Distant Memory' - a maudlin track that shakes its mood by trashing the hotel room - you are left feeling that you've just experienced a story of great importance. Like meeting a stranger in a pub and hearing their life story while you hang on every word and find your face drenched in tears of anger, hope and relief for a person you've never met before. This, right here, is album of the year material so get it in your ears. Now.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/octoberdrift