Album of the Week: Forever Whatever — October Drift
October Drift’s energetic live performances have steadily fostered their reputation as modern grunge leviathans. After years on the rock circuit, playing the likes of Glastonbury and Leeds Festival, the Taunton natives are back with their first album, Forever Whatever. Connor Flashman-Wells provides an insight into this nostalgia-fueled debut.
I first heard about Taunton-based four-piece October Drift through a sound-engineer-friend of mine at The Forum, Tunbridge Wells, a well-known small venue on the British rock circuit — a breeding ground for fans of October Drift. Like most of their early fans, I listened to their powerful, polyrhythmic brand of hard rock because of the word-of-mouth reputation they were fostering from their epic live performances. Their energy seems to stem from a desire to revitalise the South-West’s musical reputation: according to drummer Chris Holmes, Taunton had “virtually nothing in terms of a music scene”. Four years on, the group’s debut record, Forever Whatever, is here. Featuring re-recorded versions of October Drift’s older tracks, as well as a variety of new ones, it’s safe to say that OD’s brand of power rock is going to be heard in places far further afield than Somerset in the coming decade.
Tracks like ‘Losing My Touch’ and ‘Cinnamon Girl’ are not only fan favourites — they also offer a look into the sorts of themes that frontman Kiran Roy and his band tend to tackle. On the former track — which opens the album in a Nevermind-esque way, utilising squealing feedback before descending into an epic percussive interlude — the idea of losing talent as the band steadily age is set as one of the album’s anxious motifs. Kiran’s voice matches the distorted guitar lines fantastically; it’s very apparent from this opener that October Drift have a distinctive chemistry cemented in their years of performing together. It comes as no surprise that the band have been making music together since the age of 13.
On ‘Cinnamon Girl’, relationship anxiety is explored through lyrical metaphors, “I’m in the ocean/ looking for the shores of devotion” and thundering power chords. The Nirvana influences are apparent again here — guitarist Daniel Young’s arpeggiated line utilises a chorus akin to Kurt Cobain’s Small Clone pedal. This is not to say that October Drift are a carbon copy of the grunge-trio, though; the band have remade their own distinctive sound from these influences. Their sound is contemporaneous, oftentimes using guitar swells on tracks like ‘Just Got Caught’ to create a fantastic paradox of pounding guitars and cloudy soundscaping.
Themes of anxiety are resolved by the final two tracks on the album, the eponymous ‘Forever Whatever’ and closer ‘The Past’. Both tracks mark a sonic shift from the alternating ballad and power-tracks — ‘Forever Whatever’ takes a carefree attitude to the future, “shoestring holds our lives together/forever and ever, you bring our demise together/light as a feather”. This sense of liberation is cemented in ‘The Past’, where the band take a leaf from Arcade Fire’s book by wailing ad-libs through the chorus.
Forever Whatever’s best moments are almost always underpinned by creative drumming. ‘Don’t Give Me Hope’ features tom dominant fills before descending into chaotic-rock heaven at the two-and-a-half-minute mark and finally closes out like something off of System Of A Down’s Toxicity. The following track, ‘Just Got Caught’, takes a similar route; the energy of the track is built outwardly from a couple of tom-heavy bars at the introduction.
Some tracks are here feel purposefully radio-friendly; single ‘Oh The Silence’ is sure to appeal to any fan of acts like Sam Fender and The Wombats. Slower cuts like ‘Naked’ evidence October Drift’s affinity for stripped-back songwriting. The inclusion of violins here makes for beautiful listening and its a much-needed change of pace from the intensity of tracks like ‘Milky Blue’ and ‘Cinnamon Girl’.
However, October Drift’s album isn’t without its flaws. Over-production, probably caused by the inclusion of an external producer (since the band signed to Physical Education Records last year) oftentimes takes away from the band’s natural talent. For example — ham-handed reverb on ‘Cherry Red’ undermines Kiran’s vocals. Similarly, the mix on ‘Losing My Touch’ clouds the vocal lines. The self-recorded, original mix of this track features a stronger mix that makes the ethereal lyrics of the chorus far more apparent. It also features a stronger mid-range on the guitar, making for superior listening (you can listen to this version here). It’s also unfortunate that some fan favourites, like the phenomenal ‘Still Here’, didn’t make the cut, though I am sure long-time fans can expect this track to crop up in any future releases by October Drift.
Ultimately, Forever Whatever is a wildly energetic and much-needed debut album. It encompasses their distinctive sound; they’re a band which need to be heard live. Though there’s some growing space needed, self-production may do their cataclysmic sound justice. These minor setbacks do little to negate the band’s promising future in mainstream rock. Five years on, OD aren’t losing their touch: they’re refining it.
Rating: 8/10
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