“Takin’ off, I don’t care where. You know where to find me.”
Some songs sound best in cars. They exist out of time but yet summon a memory of a distinct moment of youthful yearning, hanging your head out the window drinking in the sky, essentially a sonic embodiment of “enjoying the journey not just a destination.” Pardon the wistfulness, but ‘Drive’ is one of these songs. Indeed, each component makes the present moment bloom.
The lulling rhythm section is consistently comforting, still solid but playful like an idle daydream spruced up with the odd reversed sound on an off beat. It gracefully drops down in the mix to give space for the titular refrain, making it all the more driving (pun intended) when the volume returns. The chord progression is meandering and reminiscent of the chillest Pavement licks, letting a string ring and reverberate before being subsumed into the vocal tracks. I suppose the repetitiveness is one critique to make, but barely reaching the three minute mark, the track hardly overstays its welcome.
The celestial singing is of course the highlight; a medley of layered voices repeating beautifully simple lines of genuine longing, “I don’t want to say goodbye, c’mon let’s drive tonight.” The result is an artistic honesty of Cocteau Twins-levels. Their influence is palpable, but doesn’t bog down the track. It fits snugly into the pastel coloured lock of singles Bobsled Team have come out with thus far, so their future is very promising. For the present, however, “Drive” is just enough.
