October Drift are a noisy, explosive rock band, taking elements from Joy Division and Radiohead. Coming out of Taunton, this is the third single off their upcoming second album.
Waltzer is a perfect concoction of what October Drift are good at. Slow, charming melodies, intertwined with melancholic lyrical content. Then piercing through that with heavy guitar and gut-punching bass.
Putting over the top, some twinkly xylophone, which doesn’t seem like it should work but plays a fantastic part in giving a simplistic version of the melody. However, although where the melody is accentuated with the use of it works amazingly, the static use, where it plays one note repeatedly throughout, seems to distract from the actual structure which holds interest.
Of course, the main focus, in my opinion, is on the vocals and seriously heartfelt lyricism. Contains the classic October Drift lyrics about the oceans and beaches, and mixes in the occasional showstopper like “When you wake in the chains that you wore, as lonely and cold as before”. The nonstop lyrical breakthroughs that seem to come from this band are unrivaled at this level.
On the whole, this single demonstrates everything good about this band. Hard-hitting lyrics that hit you right in the soul, melodies that worm their way into your ear for years to come, destructive rock you want to bounce to and mixing it all in with their knowledge of exactly how to get the best out of their sound.