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Florida’s finest Rain City Drive are back with their ever-evolving alt–rock, and their much anticipated second album ‘Things Are Different Now’. Following on from the captivating 2020 release of ‘To Better Days’, this second LP is a clear statement of intent from the band. Now that this album is out in the world, Rain City Drive can continue to push the boundaries of rock with the mix of synths, punchy guitars and amazing vocals.
Kicking off this album is the unapologetic ‘Lose My Composure’, which is the perfect opener as it's got some insanely catchy vocals from Matt and screaming riffs. ‘Wish You The Best’ comes next and is a melodic break-up song powering through with pounding guitars and striking vocals once again, as well as some seriously punchy drums. There were some lyrics that really stood in this song as being particularly emotive - ‘I only wish you the best even though you’re the worst, when I'm feeling depressed, I miss the way it hurts’ which is certain to hit a lot of people close to the heart.
‘Concrete Closure’ is an anthem which echoes post break-up songs from the 2000s rock era – it's chock full of melodic guitars and beefy drums with added synths, which really set this track up to be a hit. Coming straight afterwards is ‘Medicate Me', which was the first single to be released from this album, and is a brilliant collab alongside DaySeeker that no-one saw coming. It’s so catchy and is a truly captivating song, and makes for a right proper ear worm. Conversely, ‘Frozen’, the song after, is a striking anti- ballad with an eclectic mix of melodic riffs and meaningful vocals, making for another incredible track with Matt bringing a memorable vocal solo on this track, albeit one that is excellent in such a different way from the track prior.
This works it's way into the penultimate track on the LP ‘Neverbloom’, which was the second single to be released prior to the album, and has had the new video for it (below) drop less than a week ago. Matt brings his powerful vocals once again to this track alongside the big guitar hooks that litter the entire runtime. Matt explores the darker side of his vocals with the story telling lyrics on the closing track ‘Sacrifice’. This is the perfect moment for a sonic curveball, pairing roaring synth alongside upbeat dance backing sounds in the perfect way to cap off the Floridians' sophomore album.
‘Things Are Different Now’ is fast-paced, foot-tapping rock album, which carries all of the emotional weight of break-ups, heartbreak, and loss, yet doesn't ever feel sorry for itself or for the listener. The sonic twists and turns throughout the album mimic those of the grief process and how very non-linear it is, allowing you to feel connected to the album in a much deeper way than you otherwise could if it expected you to just gradually get better incrementally. Rain City Drive have set up their stall with this and will need an extraordinary third album to top this.
Best songs - ‘Medicate Me’, ‘Concrete Closure’ and ‘Neverbloom’
'Things Are Different Now' is released on September 27th via Thriller Records.
Words: Lisa York
Photos: Rain City Drive
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