OCTOBER DRIFT “Blame the Young” released on September 27th

BLAME THE YOUNG
NEW ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 27^TH 2024
AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW HERE

As a mostly rock and metal fan these days “Blame the Young” came as something of an excursion from my normal musical escapades! Something new, something different, and as it happened something very easy to listen to. Sceptical at first I donned a set of headphones, plonked myself down, and began to listen…

For those who don’t know, October Drift already have two well respected albums out and about in the ether. Kiran Roy (vocals/guitar), Alex Bispham (bass), Chris Holmes (drums/vocals) and Dan Young (guitar) all seem to have found their place and sound and are now building upon the well laid foundations created by “Forever Whatever” and “I Don’t belong Anywhere”. “Blame the Young” sports 11 tracks, and if I’m honest right from the start I feel transported back to a time long ago when in college. More specifically, to a point in time where “Babybird” were floating around the chart with ‘You’re Gorgeous’! Kiran’s voice resonates in a way so spectacularly similar that I found myself googling in order to check it wasn’t the same person! After swiftly clearing my browsing history (I have a reputation to maintain and if I die tomorrow and they go through my laptop… ) I find myself also caught up in another memory, this time of “She Wants Revenge”, not in tempo but in tone. This voice is catchy, warm, and familiar. It’s like an oral hug! I’m impressed!

Currently on Spotify there’s three tracks already available from the new release, the eponymous ‘Blame the Young’, ‘Tyrannosaurus Wreck’ and ‘Demons’, and they’ll certainly give you a feel of what’s to come. Clean crisp vocals on the title track, placed with exactly the right volume for the overlaying of a bassline and drum combination which gives pace and depth to the ensemble while not drowning it, until the rest of the instruments kick in. ‘Demons’ feels almost “Snow Patrol”-esque in its formula, and the latter of the three again leans on a really well pitched bassline. Lyrically throughout the whole album there’s enough angst being expressed within the stories told to evoke a suitable response, but it’s also surprisingly bright in places too. There’s a feelgood factor which seems, rather cleverly, to be generated by the guitar’s pitch, which can then be suitably messed with by some well-placed distortion best demonstrated on the aforementioned ‘TyrannosaurusWreck”

‘Hollow’ follows a different pathway. Almost anthemic (and the most Babybird sounding vocal of all!) it’s only matched by ‘Wallflower’ for me in terms of songs I’m liable to annoy people with by singing it while ambling about my day. Both these are my standout tracks from the album rather than the singles, but while ‘Hollow’ pushes forward, (albeit at a waltz pace), hinting at the same feeling generated by ‘When the Tigers Broke Free’ by “Pink Floyd, ‘Wallflower’ is something of a lament rather than an anthem. It indulges in reminiscing on things, perfectly expressing that feeling of looking back, overviewing what’s unfurled, and then acknowledging it with a self-awareness of what needs to be done next, which in this instance is to do nothing but continue observing instead of changing a thing. It’s haunting, poignant, and feels important to the album.
There’s actually quite some substance to this release. Certain tracks evince and elicit positivity, hope, and progression, while others lean towards an inner reticence to let go of the euphemistic albatross of Coleridge fame, hanging around the neck. The final track, ‘Not Running Anymore’ winds down the emotional journey especially well, telling the tale of how our protagonist has found himself and as the title suggests, has finally resolved to own that whom he is. It’s a song to send to someone to say: “Here I am, if you want me.”

As vocals go Kiran’s delivery is absolutely everything it should be, almost yesteryear in feel, wistful perhaps, and when combined with the instrumentation, October Drift seem to have nailed everything I’m assuming they’ve gone for. An observation of what used to be, sprinkled with smatterings of regret and remorse, but all contained within a feeling of having gained something from revisiting these things and using that as a platform for moving onwards…
11 tracks and several re-listens later I find myself in the strange position of feeling better about myself, all because of an album I didn’t know I needed to hear until I heard it. If you’re missing the indie melodic sounds of a 1997 without the cheesy lyrics, or just wanting to wallow in a feeling of a musically warm embrace while pondering how life has changed over the years, October Drift’s Blame the Young could be right up your alley.

Who knew I needed an Oral Hug?
Maybe, just maybe, you might too.

HEADLINE UK & EUROPEAN TOUR
STARTS IN OCTOBER 2024
TICKETS ON SALE NOW HERE

2024 UK HEADLINE TOUR DATES
October
25^th –  Bristol, Thekla
26^th – Stoke, The Sugarmill
27^th – Norwich, The Waterfront Studio
29^th – Manchester, Gorilla
30^th –  Glasgow, King Tut’s
31^st – Dundee, Beat Generator

November
2^nd – Newcastle, Think Tank
3^rd – Leeds, Key Club
4^th – Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
5^th – London, Scala

2024 EUROPEAN HEADLINE TOUR DATES
November
30^th – Hilversum, De Vorstin

December
1^st – Rotterdam, Rotown
2^nd – Cologne, Helios 37
3^rd – Hamburg, Hafenklag
5^th – Copenhagen, Beta
6^th – Oslo, Dunk
7^th – Stockholm, Nalen Klubb
9^th – Berlin, Maschinenhaus
10^th – Warsaw, VooDoo
11^th – Budapest, Dürer Kert
12^th – Prague, Cafe V Lese
14^th – Milan, Legend
15^th – Zurich, Dynamo Werk21
16^th – Paris, Point FMR
17^th – Maastricht, Muziekgieterij
18^th – Nijmegen, Doornroosje

ACCLAIM FOR OCTOBER DRIFT
“A band very much in the zone and on the rise”
Chris Hawkins – BBC6 Music