Words and Photos by Alicia Maciel
Hailing from Minnesota as an independent alternative rock band, Remo Drive is impressing emo-rival enthusiasts with their self-debut “Greatest Hits” and they’re not losing momentum any time soon.
Within a week’s worth of time, Remo Drive headlined Subterranean, their Audiotree session premiered, and they released a camp-themed music video for “I’m My Own Doctor.” They harnessed all the energy building and continue to move forward rapidly.
The original line-up consists of brothers Erik Paulson (vocals/guitar) and Stephen Paulson (bass) along with close friend Sam Mathys (drums). They’ve added Zack Cummings to play guitar on tour and were joined by Michael Kwan for keys/aux percussion at a Lollapalooza after show and Audiotree session.
While there is some controversy amongst fans about piano playing in live sessions, the addition emulates a full, richer sound and shows that Remo Drive is more than just an emo revival band by crossing the lines of emo and indie.
“Greatest Hits” deters from their raw, emo-punk inspired “Demos 2014” and pushes them toward the broad category of alternative rock. In doing so, Remo Drive’s style is appealing to practically any listener as subtle moments of post-punk and emotional music bring high, aggressive energy to the tracks – grasping attention easily.
With song themes ranging from facing reality, romanticism, mental and physical health (as blatantly seen in “I’m My Own Doctor”), Remo Drive’s simple, straightforward composition creates a sense of empathy with the listener. Past the music, the band interacts genuinely with fans as much as possible whether it’s face to face or over Twitter through likes, retweets, and threads. Such constant interaction is hardly seen nowadays which is why Remo Drive is standing out as a remarkable, personable band.
Nostalgia’s found when listening to the band’s techniques and mixing throughout the album. Remo Drive’s “Greatest Hits” album cover and logo radiating a love for the 80’s and the minimalistic, catchy composition stylings ranging from the riffs and lyrics coming from members Erik and Sam – they’re emphasizing the importance of branding and style for up and coming independent bands.
Self-composing and recording “Greatest Hits” while striving to hire local professionals for any work necessary, Remo Drive is paying homage to their DIY roots while venturing into performance at professional venues across the nation. It really makes one wonder if they’ll do a DIY tour soon enough (yes, they totally should!).
From hardly being known at the beginning of this year to their vinyl pre orders selling out and gaining a cult following, who knows what to have other than high expectations for Remo Drive.
Catch Remo Drive on a co-headlining tour with McCafferty and supporting Hippo Campus in the fall! Get tickets here.
Personal quote: “Being an overall rock music lover, Remo Drive inspired me to photograph them in May when I had no idea who they were. These guys are really something else.”
The following is a list of bands their music sounds inspired by //
Remo Drive’s Influencers Recipe:
Alicia Maciel is a junior at DePaul University studying marketing, music business, public relations, and advertising. Immersing in photography, promotion, interviews, interning at Metro and Notion Presents, managing The Chicago Vibe, curating live music, and plenty more – she hopes to bring innovation to the music scene. “A Chicagoan gal making music personnel personal.”
blog.shugarecords.com 